The Law Of Your Anarchic Demise
by Atrophy-Conception
Summary: Sally along with the help of some of the other residents of Halloween Town must help Jack regain his title of Pumpkin King after it is taken over by a previous owner. Finished.
1. The Banishment Of Murdock Manifesto

This prologue is here right now just to see what you think of the story. I'm busy right now with my other story and really would like to finish it before getting in too deeply with any other large writings. Enjoy this small taste of my next assignment, but don't expect any progress on it until I am more deeply into the story of Pumpkin Town.

The Law of your Anarchic Demise

Prologue

The Banishment Of Murdock Manifesto.

"Murdock Manisfesto you have overstepped your boundaries in the mortal world. You have been charged with illegal soul knapping, and a failure to report important information to your better. These charges are pressed against you by the Board of The Beyond, and Mr. Charles Bones." At this point the judge, who was a rather short victim of mummification was interrupted by the mentioned party, who was standing to his right.

"Uh, That's The Grim Reaper, please sir. I have not gone by the mortal name Charles Bones in a century and a half." The reaper said. The judge peered down at his papers.

"Ah…yes…it says that here. Very sorry sir." He turned again to the one on trial, of whom he had been speaking to before.

"These charges have been pressed against you by the Board of The Beyond and your better, The Grim Reaper." After saying his name he turned to the reaper and gave him a thumbs up. If the Grim Reaper would have had eyes…he would have rolled them.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself, Mr. Manifesto?" The judge said, once against turning towards the man who was on trial.

In the shadows, Murdock Manifesto's visage was hidden from the eyes of those who were present. All anyone could see was a small portion of his face. The portion that held his lips, which were pulled back in a wretched grin, revealing a large set of blindingly white teeth. His smile seamed to stretch to his ears, an illusion mostly emphasized by the stitches that ran up his bony cheeks.

"Do you know how many cards there are in a deck?" The man said, his voice was low and musical.

The judge looked off to his left, fixing the head of the Board Of Beyond with a questioning glance. The head of the board, who was a zombie like apparition wearing a rather nice white suit, shrugged in response.

"Um, is this related to your trial Mr. Manifesto?" He asked. Murdock raised his head, revealing to the crowd the rest of his face, which was terribly stitched up and covered in wiry black hair that went of in insane angles and jagged lines, all topped off with a gentleman's hat which would have been lovely if not for the webs that were woven all over it's surface.

"Of course. I wouldn't think of wasting your time…your greatness." He said, his smile momentarily fading and replaced by a rather pathetic look of sincerity.

"Well…" Started the judge. "Alright…no…I guess the answer would have to be….I'm not quite sure how many cards there are in a deck."

"52. There are 52 cards in a deck. Four suits…thirteen cards to a suit." Murdock answered. His grin was back, and wider then ever.

"Alright…and…what precisely does this have to do with your case Mr. Manifesto?"

"Do you play cards, your excellency?" Murdock asked.

"Well…not for a while…but…I suppose I was rather fond of the game in life." The judge said, with a raised brow.

"So then you've played Euchre?"

"Uh…no…I don't think I ever have." He looked off to his right and met the Grim Reapers gaze. The Reaper shook his head. At the time, the judge just assumed the Reaper had never played euchre either, and that was the reason for the bit of contact he gave him. He didn't think that he was trying to motion for him to stop conversing with the wily maniac who sat in front of him.

"Well, then you wouldn't know that under British rules there was a card called the Imperial Bower, a card that trumps all of the other cards in the deck."

"No, I'm afraid not."

"Well, in the 1860's this card manifested in the card we now call the joker. It hides in the decks, completely useless in most games, and entirely looked over. Sometimes it isn't even there, the decks are just absent of it."

The judge now seamed to get impatient.

"What is your point, sir?"

"Most games of cards don't include the Joker. People just leave them in the box. But most people don't play cards like I do. In my game the Joker is always played, and always trumps all of the rest of the cards." The judge waited for him to continue. Murdock just grinned.

"Well…" The judge said. Murdock sat back in his seat, his face once again overcome by shadows.

"Is that all?" The judge questioned. He looked to his right and left. The Grim Reaper was fixing Murdock with a dangerous look. To the judges left, the head of the board was examining his long and broken nails.

"That's all." Murdock said. "I just thought you ought to know." The judge sat back in his own chair. For a moment he looked very confused, this was replaced by a look of irritation.

"That was a complete and utter waste of my time! It had nothing to do with your case!" Murdock touched his long fingers together and grinned. He said nothing.

"Jury, how much time do you think you need to conclude this trial?" The judge asked, turning an angered look from Murdock and fixing a very ghoulish group of people with a wondering gaze.

A tall female vampire stood, brushing her long black hair behind her.

"Sir, ve feel as thou ve need no time." She answered in a heavy Transylvanian accent.

"Ve are ready to make our conviction."

"Very well, bring it forward."

A severed hand jumped from one of the benches, dragging a letter along with it as it progressed along the dusty dungeon like floor. The judge watched as it made its progress (Tripping quite a few times under the weight of the parchment.) He bent over and took the letter from the hand, which made a strange involuntary bow.

"Thank you." The judge stood up straight and pulled the skull shaped seal from the paper. He unfolded the letter and read it aloud.

"We the jury, find defendant; Mr. Murdock M. Manifesto entirely guilty of all charges and convictions made against him by this court. Very well." The judge set the letter down. He rose a bone gavel from the surface of his podium.

"Mr. Murdock Manifesto, I sentence you to exile from the world of the undead. Your exile shall be served in the world of Limbo where you will stay for a period no earlier or later then an eternity. If you attempt to leave your designated boundaries, you will not face trial again, but will be sent straight to the Nether World, where you will spend the rest of your days." The judge brought the gavel down onto the wooden surface, sending out a hollow but loud ruckus throughout the court room.

Two large monstrous guards came forward and grabbed Murdock by the shoulders. His head was bent low, presumed to be that of a sorrowful action by the court.

No one saw that he was grinning.

The Reaper stood up, as he did the Board of The Beyond followed suit. They followed him as he left the court room, following the departure of the two guards and Murdock Manifesto.

Moments later the banished man was being stuffed in the back of a horrible apparition of a prison truck. His smile was gone, but he looked far from worried. The Reaper approached the truck from the front door of the court house. As he came near he folded his hands behind his back and fixed Murdock with a dark look. Murdock's countenance changed to that of pleasantries.

"Why, if it isn't my better, come to gloat no doubt." He said, he leaned back on a long thin hand.

"I'm not yet entirely sure what that was you did back there, but I know your planning something. I've just come to tell you that you will not escape my gaze, not now, not ever. I will watch you for the rest of your days, Murdock. If you do one thing that raises my suspicion I will have you thrown into the Nether World so quickly that your beloved deck will get burned to ashes in the speed of your decent. Do I make myself clear?"

"Oooh," Murdock started, his voice sounding rather high and to the Reaper quite hateful. "Someone sure does see themselves as high and mighty. You ought to watch that ego of yours Charles."

"You will show me respect Murdock. You know how things work around here. One word from me and you will be permanently banished into a world where your little games will be just that, and your grin will be wiped right off your face." The reaper looked in the truck. It was full of large ghoulish prisoners. All of them fixed him with a look of utter hatred, masked with that of quiet respect. The reaper's look returned to Murdock. His smile had faded, and he too wore a look of extreme dislike, his was not veiled well.

"Anything else…_Charles?_" He asked vehemently.

"Yes." The Grim Reaper answered. A terrible grin spread across his skull.

"Have nice trip." He whispered with a cruel touch of amusement. He backed out, and watched as the doors to the truck were shut. Murdock's hateful face disappeared behind them.

The head of the Board came up behind the Reaper, and watched as the truck pulled away and headed for a tall and awful looking gate.

"Can't say I'm sorry to see him go." The Reaper shook his head in response.

"Indeed not, he's been a plague to this company for far too long." The Reaper answered softly.

"Care to join me for a bit of Burning Brandy, quite effective for warming the stomach." The Head of the board asked. The Reaper shook his head again.

"I cant. I'm terribly busy, as you very well know. That trial set me behind schedule." The board nodded.

"Of course."

The pimple faced ghost of a young man came up behind the two, he carried a clip board of papers in his hands.

"The papers for Mr. Murdock Manifesto sir." He handed them to the head of the board who took them gratefully.

"Thank you Brutus." He looked down to examine the papers, as the young ghost boy made a quick bow and was off. The reaper gave the documents a sideways glance.

"I assume my suggestion was carried out?" The Reaper asked.

"What was that sir?" The head of the board asked, as he turned a page of the parchment. The reaper looked at the man a little warily.

"That…he be stripped of his charms and amulet. It is in there isn't it?" The head of the board nodded.

"Yes of course! It's taken care of." The Reaper sighed to himself in relief.

"Good." The man was still nodding, a satisfied smile playing on his face.

"A prisoner is always stripped of such things. His trinkets will be taken from him upon entry into Limbo." The Reapers look of relief froze. He turned his head towards the Board.

"Upon entry?"

"Yes."

"I requested they be taken away before then. Before he was even put in the truck. That was my suggestion." The head of the board looked up at him a little startled.

"Well, sir, does it really matter when they are taken from him? I mean he…" He was interrupted by a cry of outrage by The Grim reaper. The board stared at him in thunderstruck silence.

"Does it matter? He is Murdock MANIFESTO You idiot! He is an apparition, a phantom, hence the name he calls himself by!" The board was quiet for a moment. Finally, when he shook himself from his surprise he spoke.

"Yes…we know. But… that doesn't mean anything…it…does it?" The Reaper got very close to the head of the board. When he was towering above him he leaned over and looked directly into his face.

"He has his amulet of fatality still, he is a phantom, and he follows the Rules of the anarchic demise. That means that if he hasn't already escaped from the truck…then he will have by the time he reaches Limbos gates. In case you didn't already know it…Phantom means your capable of VANISHING." The reaper stood up straight again and turned away from the head of the board…who was looking quite ill.

"Oh dear." The head of the board said quietly.

Murdock was shuffling a deck of cards and occasionally looking up at his fellow prisoners. Some of them returned his look with one of wary discomfort. He looked to his right and met eyes with a large ghoul, who was the only guard in the back, and who was shuffling through a load of papers.

"Are those the assignment sheets?' Murdock asked. The guard looked up at him and grunted.

"Yeah." He said in a deep voice.

"Mind if I take a look?" Murdock asked, his voice sounding pleasantly curious. He pulled out an ace from his deck before quickly replacing it.

"Yeah right." The guard said.

"Please, I just want to see if any of my new friends are going to be joining me in Limbo." Murdock said. Some of the prisoners around him looked at each other uncomfortably. The guard looked up at him, giving him a tired look.

"Why would I show you these documents?" Murdock shrugged.

"I'm just curious as to where I am going and who is coming with me. Please, what harm could I do with a stack of paper." He said. For a moment his deck stopped shuffling in his hands. The guard appeared to be thinking.

"I guess…but hurry up with them." He handed the papers over to Murdock and watched him carefully.

"Thank you. Are these all prison assignments?" He asked. His deck momentarily set aside.

"No, some of them are the regular kind." The guard said, watching him with suspicion.

"This here, this is a map, is it not?" He showed the parchment to the guard who nodded.

"Yup, that's where we're going." Murdock pulled it back and looked at it thoughtfully.

"This road here, that branches off of the main road…where does it lead to?"

The guard leaned forward to have a look. The rest of the prisoners watched him curiously.

"A forest. The holiday forest I believe. That is a place for the regular assignments." The guard said. Murdock's grin widened.

"Ah yes…yes I have such memories from that place." He said, seaming to be reliving them as he stared at the small line that was meant to represent the long dirt road.

"You used to have an assignment there?" The guard asked, curiously. He seamed to have decided that Murdock posed no threat.

"Oh yes. Although I've only been to that of Halloween Town. I was there for a long time. I had a very important job." He began to shuffle though the papers.

"Ah yes, here it is. Halloween Town." He pulled out an assignment sheet with the name scrawled in large ominous black letters.

"Has it changed much in the last three hundred years?"

The guard shrugged.

"Don't know, never been there. Heard the towns Pumpkin King is a real terror though. They say hell probably have the job forever…that he's unshakable."

Murdock's smile faded a bit.

"Do they indeed?" he asked. He opened the folder and searched the page quietly.

"What are you looking for?"

"Why his name of course, you have struck my interest." Murdock said. He stopped somewhere on the page suddenly, and his smile vanished completely. The guard watched him curiously as it did.  
"Well?" The man asked.

"Well." Murdock answered quietly.

"Well well well…what do we have here?" Murdock said. His face was becoming dangerous. The guard shifted uncomfortably.

"Uh…perhaps I could have my papers back." He said. His distrust had returned. Murdock looked up at him for a moment. The guard readied himself for an act of rebellion. Then, Murdock smiled.

"Of course you may." He handed the documents back to the relieved guard.

"Thank you. If you'll excuse me, I have to check our progress really quick. I expect you all to behave back here." He cast another suspicious look towards Murdock before heading to the front of the truck.

The other prisoners looked around warily, not meeting Murdock's gaze. He had resumed shuffling his cards.

"I think I will make a side trip before my little vacation in limbo." Murdock said. Some of the prisoners looked at him with curiosity.

"How are you going to do that?" One of the larger and more stupid looking ghouls asked, getting heated look from everyone else.

"Oh, I could escape from this truck any time I want…but I'll wait till we get to the road to the holiday forest. There's a place I must visit…and an old friend I would really like to sit down with to enjoy a nice game of cards." He said. He shuffle his deck again and pulled from it with a liquid motion a single card. On it was the image of The Joker.

"Who's that…one of the prisoners asked curiously. "Your old friend I mean…because he probably isn't worth an eternity in the Nether World…I mean…You're an awful stupid person if your going to try to escape now…Limbo's not that bad and…" He stammered off, staring at Murdock as he ran the joker card through his long fingers.

"This friend has something I want." He said smiling. "Something he has taken from me. I wonder if he'll be surprised to see me?" Murdock's face broke out in a horrible look, that sent a chill down the spine of many of the prisoners. The Joker card stopped moving in his hand and he looked at it for a moment.

"Do any of you know what the Joker card was called before it became the joker card?" Murdock asked softly. The prisoners looked about each other and shook their heads uncomfortably.

Murdock answered through large white sparkling teeth, with his lips pulled back in an almost face splitting grin. His voice was awful and inhuman.

"It was called a JACK."

Alright, now, the only reason I wrote this prologue was to ensure that I would remember this beginning and continue writing the story. I will probably not update for this particular story in a while, only because I have to continue and finish with my other long story I am writing right now, which is that of Pumpkin Town. I intend to finish that before I get too deeply into this one. But this prologue is here right now for feedback. Please tell me what you thought about it! Thank you.


	2. Sally's Premonition

Ok, I know I said I wasn't going to post any further chapters in this story until I was at least deeper into my other story…but after starting chapter seven of Pumpkin Town I realized I had a lot of blanks that I needed to fill before progressing on in the plot. Since I had already had pretty much all of the first couple of Chapters in this story planned out in my mind, I decided to post this first. This doesn't mean I'm going to update regularly in this story just yet. It's still going to progress rather slowly until Pumpkin Town is finished. I'd appreciate feedback for this, I'm not sure if this chapter sounds right.

Chapter One

Sally's Premonition.

When the guard had progressed to the front of the truck, Leaving fourteen prisoners unguarded, he was under the impression that his absence would make no difference. With this in mind, he had stayed up front for perhaps just a bit longer then he should have, and therefore, was quite surprised, not to mention dismayed when he saw only thirteen prisoners in the back when he returned.

Very rarely were the undead rebellious after trial. They didn't, after all, have much to fight the law for. This was of course after they had finally gotten this through there heads.

No, the most rebellion received by the dead occurred in people who had just perished, and people whose after life rested purely on a strong emotion which did not allow them to pass on. In these occasions, the Board of The Beyond, and the Head of the Underworld, and the chief executioner of wayward souls found themselves up to their eye balls (Always assuming they had eyeballs.) in chaotic supernatural happenings. These usually occurred in the mortal world, where manifestations under no circumstances were allowed to be. In light of this law, the Reaper could have said, that the board did a very poor job of carrying out there work. Spirits were everywhere among the living. There was no doubt about that.

Murdock, however, did not fit under either of the regular circumstances in which misbehaving occurs. He'd been dead for several hundred years, so one could not put him in a category with new and devastated spirits, and he certainly was not existing off of a negative emotion or "unfinished business" If one prefers that term. If asked, he would have said his after life was something of a card game. He played by his own rules.

Of course, no one had told the guard this. He just stared stupidly in the place where Murdock had been sitting, as though he expected him to suddenly reappear before turning to the other prisoners with a question in his gaze.

"What happened?" He asked softly, knowing he was as good as fired…which was not a fun thing in the world of the undead.

"Don't know." Said a very thin looking creature with purplish skin. "He just vanished."

"Like smoke." Added a very large zombie beside her, whose thoughtful eyes were shrouded in a heavy mask.

The guard removed his hat and wiped a clawed hand about his brow.

"Great…just great."

Beside the long dirt road that many waiting souls progressed down to the in between world of Limbo, a tall thin figure stood, leaning slightly on his left leg, and grinning madly as he watched the fading shadow of the prison truck…becoming very much of a phantom itself, against a red sun, that looked very much like it was on it's last legs. (But had in fact looked that way since the day it came to be.)

The figure quickly ducked behind a dead tree, that did not hide him well at all, and slowly tiptoed in the direction opposite of where the truck was going. He sang softly to himself as he did.

"_Everyone here draw a card from the deck,_

_Careful now,_

_Edges like razor blades,_

_Try to make your fingers bleed,_

_All the little Kings and Queens,_

_Mouths wide open in frozen screams." _

He did this for a while, quite enjoying himself, when he heard the far away sound of horses.

"Aw Charlie's coming to see if I arrived in Bores Ville alright." He said to himself. The words shot through his rather large teeth in a hiss. He crawled farther off the road into the many shadows the underworld housed, and lowered his thin body to the ground watching for the beast that was making the clopping noise. His singing did not stop, but rather, was lowered to a hum.

The Reaper had a good eye. And anyone, whether living or dead who doubted it was a fool. Just because a man had no eyes…was not any reason to assume he could not see very well.

He rode on the back of a black winged horse with eyes that glowed like red coals. They had a name for this beast. It was called a nightmare. Of the same sort that whisked children away in their sleep, bringing them to the Nether world, where if lost, their spirits would supposedly wonder the wastelands for an eternity, searching for their bodies. This one, however was trained personally by the Grim Reaper and was quite well behaved. He called her Tranquility.

The Reaper kept his eyes peeled out ahead of him…in case he might get lucky and spot the escaping form of his ex apprentice. He had little hope of doing so.

Beside him, on a white horse the head of The Board of Beyond rode quietly. He had said very little since he realized what a terrible mistake him and the rest of the board had made. Unfortunately he was about to make another, which would have probably landed him a spot in Limbo himself, for a good four hundred years if it had not been looked over by both him and the Grim Reaper. He had been told to watch the right side of the road. The Reaper was watching the left side with a deep concentration. If Murdock had in fact been on that side he would have been caught…and a great many unfortunate ordeals to come could have been avoided.

Instead, much to his own luck, he was hidden on the left side of the road, where the board just barely missed him. It was a dreadful mistake, but the board had been lucky too, for it was never discovered by anyone, except Murdock himself.

When the sound of the horses died down, Murdock once again headed in the direction away from them. He sang louder then ever. The only living things that heard him were the gathering crows. In even these brainless birds his singing induced a shiver. In front of him a long dirt road branched off to the left just a mile from where he currently was. This road would take him all the way down to the holiday forest. He grinned. He could not wait to see his old friend.

In Halloween Town morning came in quite a different manner then it did in the mortal world. The darkness left, and many of the creatures that could not stand to be left even in the horrible orange light the Pumpkin shaped sun departed with it.

The sun did not fall happily on the cold ground, but rather would have made an observer quite a bit more uneasy then they would have been even in the dark. For in the mortal world, when someone sees a strange shape in the shadows that twists and changes along with their imagination until it turns into something terrible, they usually find that in the daylight, it's nothing so frightening at all, but rather, a coat hanger, or a mound of dirty laundry, or a chair. Contrary to this, when one sees dreadful shapes in the dark in Halloween Town and the sun lifts to reveal them for what they truly are…they usually wind up being exactly like what that person was imagining in the dark…or worse.

Of course this wasn't a big problem in Halloween Town because many of it's residents were just as frightening as the scenery around them.

On this morning very few of the residents stirred. The reason for this was that Halloween was slowly approaching and they had gotten to the point where early morning and midday rehearsals became late evening and late night rehearsals, and everyone needed to sleep in order to meet their cue during practice, for if they did not get the rest needed, they would sometimes find themselves snoozing during their lines. This was not taken lightly in Halloween Town…especially with Halloween looming near.

Not everyone was asleep of course. Behind the towering gates of the Pumpkin Kings abode, a single light was on in his bottom quarters. His tower was as dark as night. Jack tried to keep to a strict business of not allowing people to venture into that part of his house. He liked to think it was one of the few places he still got privacy.

Currently Jack was in the small kitchen area which rested very near his front door. He was sitting at a small wooden table with his chin resting in his palm, and listening to the mayor as he chattered on about the many problems with the celebration, all of which Jack did not find serious enough to drag him out of bed at three o' clock in the morning.

Speaking of which, Jack peered impatiently toward the corner of the room, where an ancient looking grandfather clock stood. The hands which traveled along it's face were that of a skeletons. The time was six thirty. This meant he had been sitting and listening to mayor for three and a half hours. In that time he had not heard a single thing which could not be solved in a few moments and with very little thought. He yawned.

"Oh, that's right, there's the pumpkins too. Someone took the ones that we usually stick up on the fence posts. We've been looking everywhere but…we can't seem to find them." The mayor said. His face had not changed back from the one of misfortune in quite some time now. Jack was about to suggest just taking normal pumpkins and re carving them when he heard a sound from behind him. He turned slightly toward the way in which he heard it. As he did a shadow disappeared from the door way. Jack smiled and let out a sigh of relief. Maybe now he could get rid of the mayor.

"My dear." He said loudly, getting a very confused look from the mayor, who thought for a moment that he was addressing him. "You can come in if you want, we're nearly done now and I assure you, you are quite welcome."

Sally, who had tried very hard to leave quietly when she saw Jack had company approached the doorway once more upon hearing Jacks voice. He had caught her, again. Every time she found herself in the middle of Jack's Pumpkin King dealings she tried desperately to leave before coming to the attention of those around her, but somehow he always caught her doing so. He was trying to encourage her to join in with the rest of the town…which she understood was suppose to be a helpful act on his part. Still, she met his intentions with a great amount of unease.

When she stepped into the room she kept her eyes on Jack, trying very hard to avoid the gaze of the mayor. Jack's skeletal face broke out into a kind smile.

"Good morning Sally, I trust you slept well." He said pleasantly, with an undertone of affection that she thought both her and the mayor caught.

"Yes, quite well." She returned shyly, aware of the piercing look the mayor was giving her. She found, that even with just his two faces that could express emotion she was quite easily able to pick out how he felt about her by the air about him. She had the feeling he was rather wary and envious of her, this was an emotion she had picked up a lot from Halloween Town's many residents in the last several months since she and Jack had developed a relationship. They didn't seam to like the fact that Jack was paying so much attention to her. They found it as some what of a threat.

"Fantastic." Jack said. He stood up, an action that the mayor took with some devastation.

"Perhaps it's about time you go mayor. I'm sure your needed elsewhere." Jack said. The mayor looked up at him desperately.

"But Jack, there are still so many things which…"

"Can be solved quite easily…at another time." Jack finished. He stepped towards the front door. The mayor looked at him frantically before turning his gaze on Sally. In the moment he did she thought she saw something that was getting very close to detestation in his look.

"But the pumpkins Jack!" The mayor said, obviously trying to stall for some of Jack's time.

"Easy, just re carve them." Jack said, opening the door and leading the mayor out…not without some obvious force. When he was outside the door frame the mayor turned, fixing Jack with an exasperated look.

"We can't carve up any regular pumpkins! They already have designated places in the pumpkin patch!" He threw up his arms for emphasis. Jack appeared to think for a moment before smiling again.

"I have it, do we still have that tomb of masks?" The mayor looked at him uncertainly.

"I think so." He answered.

"Just take a dozen or so of those and hang them on the fence where the jack o' lanterns were." Jack said pleasantly.

"Are you sure that'll work…I mean…masks and jack o' lanterns are different things Jack."

"It'll look truly gruesome, I assure you." Jack said. The mayor looked as though he was about to say something else, but Jack cut him off.

"Farewell mayor." He said, before shutting the door on the mayors distressed face. From the other side Jack vaguely heard the mayor shouting at him through the door.

"Don't forget the meeting tonight Jack!" He called.

"I wont!" Jack cried back before bolting the door and spinning around to face Sally.

"I thought he'd never leave!" Jack said to her in a harsh whisper, in case the mayor was still standing outside his entrance. Sally smiled softly at him, not without amusement.

Jack's smile became more playful as he crossed the room and took her in his arms.

"I was sorry to get up so early this morning, you make the bed twice as difficult to leave." Sally blushed a little at his words. He kissed her forehead, sending a tingling sensation from where he kissed, which traveled down her body and ended up somewhere in her stomach, which was tied up in knots. Even after seven months of being with him, he still had this power over her.

Regretfully, she pulled away, and fixed Jack with an inquiring look.

"Jack, how did _you_ sleep last night?" Jack's arms fell back to his sides.

"Fine until about three o' clock when the mayor started shouting up at me from the front door. Sorry about that by the way. It's something you should probably be getting used to." Sally fixed him with an uncertain glance.

"And your sure you've been sleeping well, aside from that…I mean?" Sally asked. Jack gave her a reassuring look and rested his skeletal hands on her shoulders.

"Since you've been here with me…wonderfully. If my sleep gets a bit off sometimes it's just because Halloween's coming nearer and I've got a lot on my mind." Sally gave him a small smile. Her face was shrouded with a tiny hint of doubt, but she thought it best to just let it go for now.

"But if your really worried about it, I'll get back to sleep right now. I have a few hours before I have to check around and see if things are going well." Sally looked a little relieved at this.

"Provided…" Jack started.

"Provided what?" Sally asked, looking at Jack with a question in her gaze. He smiled and put his arms around her.

"Provided that you come with me." Sally returned his smile, and allowed herself to be led up the stairs. This lasted precisely ten seconds, when suddenly, there was a loud and desperate hammering on the door. Jack dropped his arms in frustration.

"Oh bother!" He said loudly, before hurrying back down the staircase. Sally followed him, mentally wishing that he would just ignore who ever was there for once and look out for himself. Especially considering that usually it turned out being someone who did not have a very important reason for being there in the first place.

This time, however, Sally found this was not the case.

The mayor was standing at the door wearing his miserable face. A look of weariness passed over Jack's countenance as he looked down at him.

"I told you, mayor, the masks will look fine." Jack said, before the mayor began to speak. He nearly closed the door on him again when the mayor yelled loudly in protest.

"Wait Jack, this isn't about that." Jack opened the door a little wider and looked at the mayor impatiently.

"I've just received word from the vampires. Something terrible has happened!" The mayor said, his voice had an edge of panic in it. Sally noticed it and felt a sinking dread position itself behind her breast. She thought Jack must have noticed it too, for he no longer looked impatient, as wariness started to steal into his features.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked.

"The Gate Jack, The gates been broken through." The mayor now sounded out of breath. He paused and waited for Jack's reaction, seaming to decide that if Jack was going to take it badly then there was really reason to panic.

A look of relief spread over Jack's face.

"Oh…is that all. Well it probably happens all of the time mayor, many of our residents aren't exactly careful around such structures." The mayor stared up at him for a moment, looking slightly perplexed. Suddenly, his face broke out into understanding (Or as well as it could have, given that he did not have many features to choose from.)

"Not that gate Jack, The Gate!" He said desperately. For a moment Jack's expression didn't change, then, when he understood what the mayor had said, it broke out into concern. Sally was standing in the corner watching both of them as they spoke, when Jack's face changed she began to worry. Jack very rarely looked worried or frightened.

"Impossible." He said, giving the mayor a wide eyed look. "It can't be…I mean…it isn't possible." Jack said, his words breaking off far too much for Sally or the mayor's liking.

"What are we going to do Jack?" The mayor asked him. Jack stood silent for a few minutes, then, much to the mayors obvious relief his look of concern relaxed.

"Well," He began. "First I'd like to take a look at it and see what has happened."

"Of course Jack." The mayor said quickly, as though he wouldn't dream of doing anything else.

"I'm sure it isn't a very big deal, it's probably happened before." Jack said, now with more confidence. The mayor nodded in agreement.

"You go on ahead, I'll be there in a moment." Jack said, giving the mayor a waving gesture. The mayor nodded quickly and head off back down the stairs. Jack turned towards Sally.

"I apologize Sally, I need to take care of something." He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

"What's wrong Jack?" Sally asked worriedly.

"Don't worry about it." He said before turning towards the door. He hurried down the stairs and headed toward his front gate. The Zombie band had stopped playing to watch his progression.

Sally watched after him for a moment with a troubled look on her face. Something didn't feel right at all. She didn't like it that Jack had looked concerned, even if it hadn't been for very long. Something serious had obviously happened and it troubled her that she had no idea what it was. After a long moment of consideration she hesitantly made her way down the stairs, and headed in the direction she had seen Jack and the mayor disappear off to.

The band watched as first the mayor, Jack, and then finally Sally headed off in a direction away from town. Unseen by any of the groups zombie like members an odd shadow stole into the gate, and crept up Jack's stairs.

"You hear something?" The groups largest member asked.

"Like what?" Came the voice of the head resting inside of the base.

"Like…whispering…or singing?" They were all silent for a moment.

"Nope." Said one of them, ending the conversation.

Moments later Jack was standing in front of a huge gate with a look of worry on his face. The mayor was standing on the other side, his face seemingly stuck in anguish. Jack sighed.

"Well…this is unusual." Jack said.

The gate was about thirteen feet high. It was spidery black and glowed eerily in the light of the Pumpkin Sun. Along the top were several swirls and webs, made finely out of black wire and bars. These went down to about the center where they came to an abrupt stop. That was where the gate was broken off. About three feet of the center was lying on the ground behind the mayor, who was looking at it uncomfortably.

"How was this done Jack?" He asked nervously. Jack sighed, while touching the bars.

"I'm not sure." He said. "brute strength I imagine. Perhaps by a zombie…they tend to be able to tear through anything."

"Even this gate?" The mayor asked hopefully. Uncertainty played on Jack's features.

"I suppose it's possible." He answered. He didn't sound like he whole heartedly believed what he was saying. The mayor looked about him before crossing over to where Jack was standing.

"Do you suppose we have an intruder?" he asked this quietly as thought the trees towering about them could hear what he was saying.

"I can only assume." Jack responded. "Why don't you go back into town and gather everyone up. Tell them that we have reason to believe there's someone here who isn't suppose to be, and to keep their eye out for them." The mayor nodded.

"What are you going to do?" Jack ran a bony finger over a place where the gate had been broken off.

"I'm going to have to call someone. We need to get this repaired…and no one here is capable of doing it right."

"Alright. I'm on it Jack." The mayor said before hurrying off towards town. As he did Jack stepped across the gateway. He could only presume that this was the place where people ended up when they went through the doorway in the holiday forest, though he had never been through that particular doorway himself. If this was true, whoever had come into town had come from one of the roads into the forest…probably the one near that which took the dead to Limbo. That wasn't a good thing. That meant that something had gone wrong…

Jack's eyes narrowed. He tried very hard not to remember details about his life…or…death, whichever term worked best, these days. Still, memories from earlier on in his demise came back to him with a gust of autumn wind.

"This can't be done by just anyone…" He said quietly to himself. "Even with brute strength…a person would need a tool…something very powerful…and very dangerous." His train of thought was broken of by the sound of a twig crunching. He turned swiftly in the direction of the sound and came face to face with Sally, who looked embarrassed and quite guilty. Jack relaxed.

"Sally." He said, his voice taking on a slightly stern note. "What are you doing out here?" He walked back through the gateway, heading in her direction.

"Sorry, Jack…I was just…worried." She said softly. Jack stopped in front of her.

"Well it could be dangerous out here…you need to be careful." He took her arms gently in his hands.

"I don't want anything to happen to you." Sally looked up at him boldly.

"It wont." She said. "I was just worried about you…"

"You don't need to worry, I'm sure this can be straightened out easily enough. Until then I'd really feel much better if you didn't wonder out by yourself." He saw a hurt look in her eye and added something else quickly. "Not just you, I don't want anyone wondering off by themselves. I have no doubt you can take care of yourself…but I'm not quite sure what's going on yet…" Sally nodded.

"Now, I have to meet the mayor and the rest of the residents in town, do me a favor and go back to the house…" Sally interrupted him.

"Why can't I meet in town with the rest of you?" She asked a little defensively. Jack smiled.

"As I was saying…" He continued. "Go back to the house and look under the mattress of our bed, there you will find something that looks very much like a hand mirror, bring that to me." He kissed her on her brow.

"You know you're a resident in town now Sally, I wouldn't dream of keeping you away from experiencing anything anyone else in town has the right to." Sally lowered her gaze, feeling a little ashamed. It hadn't been the first time since she had started living with Jack that she had found herself thinking of him as being in the same position Dr Finkelstein had been. She often forgot that he not only gave her plenty of freedom, but encouraged it a lot more then even she could sometimes handle.

"Sorry."

"No need to apologize. Just please do this favor for me and bring me the mirror." He turned and started to head back to town.

"And don't linger," He called back. " Outside that gate Halloween town ends, I don't know quite where that road goes, but now that the gates fallen there's no telling what could come down from that direction."

Sally watched as his form disappeared in a clump of autumn trees. She turned back towards the gate, a nasty chill ran down her spine as she did.

The way The Gate was broken like that…dreadful, like something out of a mad mans dream…She was just about to turn around and put the terrible apparition behind her when she heard a faint whispering. She turned back towards the gate quickly, as if to catch whatever source was responsible for the small bodiless sound.

Around her a great many autumn leaves were picked up from the ground and carried about in a lazy circle along with the wind.

Suddenly, with a high whistle the wind picked up and the leaves began to fly towards her. As they did, Sally was faintly aware that they had begun to change. She watched in horror as they grew longer, and as their ruffled edges straightened themselves. The reddish and orange color of dying leaves seamed to drain away from them until they were almost completely white.

Cards, hundreds of them, where the leaves had been. They slapped violently towards Sally, hitting her in her outstretched arms and face. All of them held the same image, that of a crazy looking man…the caption above him read JOKER.

Without realizing what she was doing, Sally threw her arms out in front of her in a receiving gesture, with her hands cupped together as though she was expected to be given something. Sally was vaguely aware that a card had landed in them perfectly. As though it was meant to be there. At the same time the wind died down. She opened her eyes hesitantly, and fixed them on her cupped hands. A single card stared up at her. The image on it was the same, but the words were different.

This one read JACK. No sooner had she read the words when the card imploded, becoming nothing but a pile of ash. She stared at it for a moment, a feeling of dread spreading throughout her.

As the wind began to carry it away, Sally closed her hands over it and shut her eyes tightly.

A few minutes later, when she was finally able to open her eyes again she looked about her curiously. The cards were gone, becoming leaves once more. She opened her hands. All that was left was the crumpled carcass of an autumn leaf.

This could be REALLY bad. Please tell me if you thought my writing got lazy. I'm posting it like it is now, but I am perfectly willing to change it if it doesn't seam to be written quite right. Thank you for your reviews.


	3. The Underestimating of Old Acquaintances

Chapter Two:

The Underestimating of Old Acquaintances.

Sally hurried back through town as quickly as her rag doll legs would carry her. In her complete desperation to get to Jack the mirror completely slipped her mind, which, in the long run, hardly mattered anyway. When she finally neared the center she saw him standing by the mayor, they were talking about something that seamed of importance. For once, Sally was not embarrassed to intrude. She didn't even think about it.

"I'm sure we'll be able to get someone to come at least by the end of the week. In the mean time we should keep looking for anyone who may have broken in." Jack was saying to the mayor, who looked quite terrible despite Jack's words of reassurance.

"But what if whoever broke in is dangerous Jack? How are we going to hold them off for a whole week!" Jack was about to say something else when Sally burst into their conversation.

"Jack!" Jack turned from the mayor to look at Sally, the smile he had been about to give her faded from his face upon seeing her state.

"Sally, what's wrong?" He asked, turning entirely from the mayor who looked at both of them desperately.

"Something terrible Jack, I just saw it! I mean…" She was interrupted by the mayor.

"I thought she was suppose to bring the mirror Jack!" His voice was edging on irritation.

"Hold on…" Jack said quickly. "What happened Sally?" He asked her, his face filling with concern.

Sally was suddenly aware of her surroundings. She looked around her embarrassedly. The mayor was looking up at her, in what she assumed was a gaze of impatient annoyance. There were others peering at her with more obvious looks of distaste. She began to fiddle with her fingers. Jack was still waiting for her to tell him what had happened. A bit of a puzzled look had begun to fill his countenance. She edged a little nearer to him and said in a much quieter voice then she had been using a moment earlier.

"I had another vision Jack." His face cleared a little, and for one dreaded moment Sally thought he was just going to blow the whole thing off like he had several months before. Then, with a set look on his face he turned to the mayor.

"Me and Sally are going to fetch the mirror from my quarters. We will be back shortly. In the mean time, keep your eyes out for anything unusual." He gently took Sally's arm and headed towards their house. The mayor stared after them bewilderedly.

"I don't know why they both need to go!" he said angrily, below his breath.

Jack was silent for a while. It wasn't until they we're at the gate to their abode that he began to speak. He turned to Sally, putting his skeletal hands on her shoulders, and looked seriously into her eyes.

"What did you see?" Sally sighed, visibly relieved.

"Cards, Jack." She said simply. He raised his imaginary brow.

"Cards?" He asked softly.

"Yes, hundreds of them, where leaves used to be." Jack seamed to consider this for a moment. He did not at first hand, see any significance in the face of cards.

"Was there more?" He asked, hoping to inspire within his mind, some sort of implication as to what seeing a bunch of cards meant.

"Yes…" Sally said. "There was an odd image on all of them. That of a strange man…with a terrible smile." Something sparked at the back of Jacks mind. Jack grasped for it, but as he seamed to get his bony fingers around it, it flickered and died again. Sally was quiet for a moment, then she added something quickly.

"All of the cards had the word 'Joker' on them." There it was again, inspiration in the depths of Jack's skull. Now it was worse though. Jack now had the same feeling one might have when they have a word stuck at the tip of their tongue, or when they cannot remember someone's name, when that someone is standing right in front of them, and greeting them like an old friend.

An old friend…

Jacks face lit up…then, upon deeper contemplation, a deep shadow seamed to fall across it.

Sally watched this a little nervously. Jack turned away from her. He appeared to be examining the house.

"Jack, what's wrong?" She asked softly. Jack was quiet for a moment, then, in an indeterminate voice, he said something that gave her a chill, which crept up her spine like a great many of Halloween Towns darker and more horrible creatures had the tendency to do.

"Someone's in the tower." She followed his gaze up to the crooked tower that hung like many of the other structures in town, quite impossibly above the house. It was now silhouetted against the pumpkin sun. Although it was day, a ghostly light was just visible above the orange rays.

Beside her Jack began to move to the doorway. Sally followed him quietly. Jack didn't try to make her stay, which she was grateful for. He tugged at the key around his neck, pulling it easily from the string in which it hung.

Sally watched nervously as he opened the door and crossed the threshold. She followed behind him.

When they were inside he closed the door behind them. The room was very dim, even during the day.

"Come on." He said quietly as he began to ascend the stairs, then, on second thought he turned and looked at her seriously.

"But be careful!"

A feeling of dread began to grow in Sally as they got nearer to the trap door which opened up to the tower. Jack had his back to her, and therefore didn't notice. Sally tightened her lips and wondered if she should have said something to Jack about the card with his name on it. She thought that she would tell him as soon as the time permitted it, as it was, now did not seam like a very good time.

It was a pity she didn't tell him when she had the chance.

When Jack reached the door he looked at her.

"Perhaps you should stay here." He said quietly. Sally shook her head.

"I'm going with you Jack." She said, sounding quite certain. Jack nodded, but Sally noticed that he seamed uneasy. She also saw something else there. Something that looked like fear.

"Alright." He said half heartedly. He reached out and grabbed her hand before pushing open the trap door and walking up the few remaining stairs that took them into the small circular room that was Jack's tower.

Since they had been standing outside the lights had been turned off. The room was bathed in shadows. The pumpkin sun showed in through the large windows, and poured along the cold floor. Sally looked around. No one was there, as far as she could see. Everything looked in place. She turned to Jack to say this, but felt the words died in her throat when she saw his face. There was no mistake now, it was definitely fear she saw there.

She gave his hand a squeeze.

"Jack?" She asked quietly. He didn't respond, he just took a step further into the room and stared at a an empty place in the far corner. Sally followed his gaze but still couldn't find anything.

"Jack What are you…" Sally started, she was cut off as Jack spoke. He wasn't addressing her.

"You can stop hiding now. I know your there…I can see you shadow." Jack said to the nothingness. After a moment the floor rippled in the corner. Sally noticed the shadow now, not coming off of anything she could see, but still trying very hard to look like something that was not alive. To her horror it began to rise, turning into something of substance. The darkness scattered from flesh and cloth until a figure had taken the shadows place, literally. The shadow itself could not be seen. When he rose, Sally saw that he had none.

He was a tall man, taller then her, but probably still a bit shorter then Jack, and he was very thin. He wore a purple and black suit that had a double button down the Jacket. The whole thing was topped off with a gentleman's hat that was covered in webs. As he moved closer, stepping into the light, a spider lowered itself on the left side of his hat and began to crawl on his ear. Sally shuddered a little at the sight of him.

He took a few steps towards them. He was wearing the most terrible grin.

"Ahhh Jacky." He said quietly. "It's been a very long time." Sally looked at Jack. Most of his fear was gone now, replaced almost entirely by anger.

"Murdock, what are you doing here, you know very well you were banished years ago." Jack said, his hand fell from Sally's and he took another step towards Murdock. Sally had to keep herself from not letting go.

"Be careful Jack." She said quietly, but her words were lost as the other man spoke.

"Indeed I was, but I was just at a trial, and banished from the World of The Undead, and I thought that on my way to my place of exile I would drop in and see an old friend." His grin widened, which up to that point, Sally would have thought was a logical impossibility.

"You were banished again." Jack said. "It figures, how did you get here?" Jack said, his voice taking on that of frustration. Murdock took a few more steps toward them.

"Well Jacky, thanks to a mistake made by those idiots who run the place and an easy slip from a prison truck, I managed to get here and break down your 'unbreakable' gate." His face was full of amusement.

"I had to Jacky, when I saw who the Pumpkin King was, I just could not keep myself away. We always knew you'd be good, it was too bad we didn't prevent it when we had the chance." Jack laughed bitterly.

"Yeah right, when you two weren't fighting you were plotting at how to get back at each other, you couldn't have worked together if your only hope of survival was doing so." Murdock's lips thinned. Then after a moment it passed and he smiled again.

Sally wondered, momentarily, what they were talking about. She shrank back, part of her wanted to ask Jack about it quietly, but the sensible part of her, which definitely had the upper hand, kept her mouth shut.

"True Jack. I suppose we did hate each other more then we hated you." The other man was saying. "But still, an alliance of that sort would have been interesting." Jack was still smiling, he was also shaking his head a little.

"You were afraid of him." Jack said softly. Murdock's grin fell from his face, turning to that of anger.

"I was not! He was afraid of me! I was always the better one! That's why I was the king!" His words came out in a raised hiss, making him sound quite a bit like a large dangerous snake.

Although she did not understand much else of the conversation, she had picked up that part. That this man had once been the Pumpkin King, was very hard for her to believe.

Murdock seamed to calm down, regaining his composer. He sighed, and a business like look crossed his face.

"Do you know what I've been banished for this time Jack?" He asked casually. Jack didn't answer. He just stared at Murdock warily.

"I broke the law." He said happily. Jack gave him an odd look.

"What sort of law is that?" Jack asked. Murdock turned away from them, beginning to pace. As he did Sally saw something out of the corner of her eye. She looked at Jack quickly. He was motioning to their bed.

"Get the mirror." He mouthed to her. She nodded, wide eyed, before tip toeing in that direction, trying to remain unnoticed.

Murdock was speaking again.

"The law Jack. I broke the law of anarchic demise." He said softly. Jack had been watching Sally's progress, but as he heard Murdock his attention fell abruptly back on him.

"What?" Jack said, looking as though he must have heard what the man had said wrong. Murdock looked pleased.

"That's right," He said. "Impressed?" Jack was staring at him disbelief.

"That's impossible. How could you have? I mean…you follow that rule!" Jack said loudly.

"I did. But I've been making come improvements since I became The Grim Reapers assistant." Jack narrowed one eye.

"What idiot would have assigned you to that?" He asked. Murdock ignored him.

"You remember the law Jack? What am I saying, of course you do. Everyone who follows the law always remembers it. How many are there here? There's you, I know, and two…perhaps three others?" As he turned, Jack averted his eyes back to Sally, then quickly away again.

"Two." He answered. Murdock looked at him curiously.

"I could have sworn there were three others aside from us." He said. Jack smiled a little.

"Well now, there is only two." He said. Murdock narrowed his eyes.

"What do you…" He stopped suddenly. From behind him, he heard an audible creak. Jack swallowed. Murdock turned his head towards the sound, and grinned when his eyes fell on Sally.

"Sending girls to do you work for you, are you now Jack."

Sally Froze, as she realized she had been caught, and cursed herself for being so clumsy under her breath. Murdock and Jack both looked at her for a moment, Murdock with a nasty and pleasant grin on his face and Jack with that of worry.

Murdock's face darkened, becoming less apparent and featureless. A moment later he was gone completely. She looked at Jack. He was staring at her urgently.

"Sally, Run, quickly!" She took a quick step backwards but found it was too late. He rose from the floor in front of her and closed a thin wiry hand around her arm. She struggled against him, but only managed to lose her footing , falling to her knees and crying out softly. Murdock looked at her hungrily, tightening his fingers around her arm.

"And who might this be Jack? Quiet on, isn't she? Well, I'm sure we can remedy that." He gave her arm another tight squeeze.

"Now, girly tell me, what were you…"

That was as far as things went.

Suddenly Jack was beside her. She hadn't seen how he had gotten there, nor was she the only one. Murdock stared at him in surprise as Jack clamped a bony hand around his wrist, and angrily pushed it off of Sally's arm. His face was full of fury and as he pushed Murdock away from her he let out a bone chilling cry of rage. It frightened her a little, but that subsided as he gently pulled her to her feet and took her into his arms.

"Don't you ever…touch her…again." Jack said softly, his voice sounded dangerous

It took a moment before the look of shock on Murdock's face subsided. When it did, the look he gave Jack had changed, and his grin was for now, entirely gone.

"Well," he said softly. "The guard wasn't kidding, no wonder they are saying that you will be on the throne for a very long time. You have changed." Suddenly he looked tired. He began fumbling with something around his chest. As he did he leaned over and pulled Jack and Sally's bed up easily. It flipped over with a show of brute strength. Sally felt Jack's arms drop as he took a step forward.

There was a small trap door similar to the one that entered into the tower, except this one was much smaller…and it had a lock on it. Murdock ignored this, simply pulling it from it's hinges and throwing what looked like a fairly old piece of wood aside.

There were three things inside. One was a large rough bundle of cloth, which reminded Sally of something she decided was better not to pursue. The second was a large leather case, beautifully crafted and covered in both lovely and morbid images, and the third was a small hand mirror. Murdock lifted the latter from the hole, ignoring the other two objects completely. (Which had been a mistake on his part, but perhaps a small one compared to the object he did take from the doorway.) He smiled at Jack, holding the mirror so he could see it.

"Is this the thing she was trying to get Jack?" He stood. "I'm impressed with you, Jacky-boy. Very impressed. I was just going to imprison you and take over this town while you dangled in some small cage in the darkness, but now I see things are going to be a bit more difficult then that. Pity, but I guess it's true what they say about never underestimating someone, even someone you've known for a very long time. Do you know how powerful the two of us could be together, Jack? My skills and yours. We'd be unbeatable." Jack looked at Murdock, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm not interested." He said softly. Murdock grinned.

"Sorry to say this Jack, but that really isn't your choice." He fumbled for the thing around his neck, pulling it from under his Jacket and letting it lay on his thin chest. It was lovely…and terrible. A large amulet, covered in black crystals, all which shimmered like glittering eyes. The picture which was carved in the silvery surface looked like a symbol of some sort. Jack froze, staring at it like he had seen it before, but could not very well place where.

"Do you know what this is Jack?" Murdock asked. Jack was silent. "You don't remember? You've only seen it once. A long time ago, on the day of your birth. Not your actual birth of course…but the other one. The one at the end of your life. Do you remember?" Jack remained silent, still staring at the amulet. Murdock raised it in his hand.

"The Jack must stand aside now, to make room for the Joker. For the Jack, has no power in my deck any longer."

In the next instant a lot of things happened, all of which Sally watched as a helpless observer. The amulet in Murdock's hand came to life, the crystals opened up like watchful eyes, and from them a long silvery mist shot out. Jack took a hurried step backwards to avoid it, but could not. As it entered his chest it took on the image of a claw, which seamed to rip into him. A look of utter surprise flashed across Jack's face as he was flung backwards, losing his footing as he knocked into a chair. Then, as fast as it shot out, it was drawn back, dissolving as it reached Murdock again. Sally stared on in horror, momentarily unable to move. In the chair, Jack was still, giving him for a moment, the illusion of lifelessness. This faded as he stirred a little.

Murdock looked pleased, as he turned, giving Sally a huge triumphant grin.

"Enjoy him while he lasts. It shouldn't be long now." He looked casually down at the mirror before flinging it violently to the far wall, where it shattered loudly, spraying out fragments of glass.

"I'll be back in a couple days." Then, with that, he gave her a little wave and fell backwards, vanishing into the wooden floor. Sally stared at the spot where he had been, then, as she seamed to come back to herself, she hurried to Jack's side.

"Jack!" She said her voice full of fright. His fingers twitched, and he opened his eyes a little. When he saw her he gave her a small reassuring grin.

"I'm alright." He said weakly. She helped him sit up.

"What did he do to you?" She asked nervously. He shook his head.

"I'm not sure." He answered softly. "Anyway, that doesn't matter right now." He struggled to his feet, and stared sadly into the corner where the broken mirror now laid in pieces.

"This isn't good." He said, seaming to regain some of his strength, much to Sally's relief. He walked slowly over to the trap door under their bed and looked in, as thought expecting to find another mirror inside. Instead, he pulled out the large leather case and set it on a desk nearby. He began unfastening it.

"What are you doing?" Sally asked softly, as she approached him.

"Trying to find something that can tell me what I need to know. Listen Sally, I have a job for you." He abandoned the case for a moment as he turned to her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"I need you to go to town and tell the mayor to gather up all of the residents, and tell them to meet me in the Town Hall. Then, when that's taken care of…" He paused and looked at her regretfully. "…I need you to go find the doctor and tell him to meet me by the fountain." A nervous look crossed Sally's face. She hadn't spoken to the doctor since she had jumped from her window, deciding, on that night, not to return to his house, except for one instance when she had borrowed some fog juice fro a loose floorboard in his wooden floor.

"But Jack…" She said softly.

"I know…" He interrupted her. "I'm sorry Sally, but I _need _to see him as quickly as possible. I would fetch him myself but I have other matters that I need to attend to. Just tell him that I requested his presence, that it's very important, tell him that…tell him that it is a concern of The Law." Jack turned, his voice lowering. "He'll know what you mean." Sally had begun fiddling with her fingers.

"What are you going to do?" She asked. Jack pulled the last catch on the case, it made a clicking noise as it popped open. Inside was a very old looking leather bound book. Aside from that there were a good many other things, but they did not look quite as important. When Jack spoke his voice had taken on a bitter quality.

"I have to go to the Tree House." He said, sounding very much as though he would rather not. He picked the book up and held it at his side carefully.

"When you get to the doctor's house, ask him to bring any sort of research he may have on the subject, and tell him to hurry." Jack crossed the room, and pulled the trap door that led to the descending stairway. Sally followed him. He had begun to go down the stairs, when she placed a hand on his shoulder. He stopped and turned to look at her, there was a look of sorrow on his face that scared her a little.

"Jack, what's going on?" She asked, determined to get an answer from him. He swallowed and pulled her gently towards him.

"I can't tell you right now, there isn't enough time, but I promise I will when I have the chance." He kissed her and left her side, starting back down the stairs. After a moment of hesitation she called after him again.

"Jack." He stopped. "What was the mirror for?" She asked nervously. Jack sighed.

"Are only way of contacting anywhere outside of town." He said in a low voice, before hurrying down the rest of the stairs and pulling open the front door. Sally watched as his form disappeared into the sunlight.

Alright, I give up. I've said twice now that I wasn't going to update this, and I keep doing it…so, I guess I'll just work on both stories at the same time…which in the long run may turn out to be a mistake…but, oh well, whatever. Well I hope you liked the chapter. Please Review.


	4. Bad News

Chapter Three:

Bad News

Sally stood nervously outside the doctors door. She had never really considered the possibility of ever having to go back to his house, and therefore, had no idea what she was going to say to him. Behind her the town stretched out gloomily. She imagined that it's strange residents were probably gathering for the meeting at that moment, at least, she hoped they were. She had just been to see the mayor, who had been quite rude, and had kept her for just a bit too long, because he hadn't believed her about Jack.

Now she was at Doctor Finkelstein's house, feeling quite nervous, and not looking forward any sort of confrontation with him at all.

The odd looking structure rose above the ground with improbability, looking as cold and unwelcome to Sally as it had when she had lived there…perhaps even more so, now that she had finally left.

Sally rose her tiny hand nervously and rapped it on the metal door, biting her lip, and bracing herself for the uncomfortable situation she was bound to get herself into. After a few moments, there was movement on the other side, and the door was swung open. When it did, Sally came face to face with her 'replacement.'

The rather homely woman peered at Sally with curiosity, which soon turned to mild suspicion.

"Yes?" She said, in a voice that sounded to Sally, very much like the doctors.

"Hello…" Sally said softly. "I need to talk to the doctor." The woman narrowed her eyes, then a certain understanding filled her countenance.

"Hey, your that…Sally girl aren't you…the doctors old creation, the ungrateful one that ran away and shacked up with the Skellington fellow." Sally pressed her lips together as a feeling of discomfort washed over her, at the same time she felt a little aggravated at the woman's less then modest choice of words, and she had never heard anyone refer to Jack as 'The Skellington fellow.'

"Yes." She answered quickly, trying to not let her discomfort or annoyance show.

"Why are you back?" The woman asked, edging a little nearer to Sally, as though she were trying to get a better look at her. "Not come to beg for your room back, have you…because I've made myself quite at home in it." Sally stood up a little straighter and was about to answer the woman defiantly, when a voice came from the darkness of the house.

"Jewel, who is it?" The doctor asked, his voice sounding quite a bit more reasonable when addressed to his 'improved creation.' Then it ever had when addressed to her. Sally found herself feeling a little hurt. She also found that a deep longing to be away from this place, and back where she belonged, with Jack, was rising inside of her.

"It's that girl who used to live here." The woman answered quickly. There was a bit of hesitation on the doctors side before his response came, sounding confused and edging with suspicion.

"Sally?" Sally heard the gears of his wheelchair approaching the door, and then, soon his image filled the doorframe and he was staring right at her.

"I didn't expect to see you here again…especially so soon…what is it you want." Sally swallowed nervously then answered in a small voice.

"I have a message from Jack." The doctor narrowed his eye.

"Do you then?" She nodded.

"So, you leave me to run errands for him eh? Not quite the life you expected is it." Sally's lips thinned, but she decided against causing any sort of confrontation regarding his words.

"It's a very important message." She said, her voice sounding much bolder now. The doctor must have caught it, for the smug look seamed to vanish from his face.

"Well…what is it then…needs a new invention to replace something one of the idiots in town broke, needs something to make his performance even scarier this year….or a bit of scientific advice? Well?" Sally was shaking her head.

"He said he wants to meet you at the fountain. That it has to do with the law…and to bring any books you have on it." She said. The doctor gave her a strange look, telling her that he had no idea what she was speaking of.

"Law? What law?" The doctor asked, the suspicion in his eyes growing.

"He said you'd know what it means." She said, a little worry edging into her voice. The doctor continued to give her a foreign look, before a look of understanding began to dawn in his wrinkled face and in his dark shadowed glasses. With that look came a sort of superstitious fear.

"The Law?" He asked quietly, more so to himself then her. She nodded anyway. He scanned her face, looking as though he were trying to decide whether she was kidding or not, then cleared his throat and set his eyes on Jewel.

"Jewel, I am going to be out today, make sure Igor doesn't break anything, I may be back late." He then turned and rolled inside the house, tossing one quick withdrawing look at Sally.

Sally was feeling quite relieved, mostly because the doctor had believed her. Still, it only managed to heighten her curiosity regarding the law of Jack's, and what he was planning to do about the intruder Sally had met earlier.

A minute later the doctor appeared in the doorway again. He was carrying a large rusty leather back book under his arm. He wheeled past Sally without looking at her, being sure to shut the door after he exited it. Sally watched him for a moment before following behind him, trying very hard not to keep up and to avoid walking beside him, but failing miserably due to his slow pace.

When they arrived at the fountain the town seamed deserted. Sally assumed this was because all of its residents were in the town hall. The doctor stopped by the fountain and looked about him curiously. Finally he turned to Sally, fixing her with an impatient look.

"Well? Where is he?" His voice sounded unpleasant.

"He had something else he needed to do, he should be back shortly." She said quickly. The doctor pressed his lips together in annoyance, but said nothing.

Ten minutes had passed by when Sally began to wonder whether or not Jack had gotten into some kind of trouble. These thoughts vanished when she finally saw his trim form coming through a gate on the far side of the square, which led to one of Halloween Town's many graveyards. He wasn't alone.

Shuffling behind him, looking very odd by herself, was Shock. She didn't look happy, and kept tossing looks of annoyance at Jack behind his back, as though he had dragged her out of something important against her will.

Jack smiled when he saw the doctor and Sally waiting for him.

"Good morning doctor…or I suppose it's got to be nearing the afternoon now. Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"Of course Jack." The doctor answered. His voice carried pleasantly, but the look on his face remained the same. "I don't suppose I heard your news incorrectly? By any stroke of luck?" He asked, his voice brimmed with hopeless futility. Jacks smile faded a little.

"I'm afraid not." He set his own book down on the fountain, then turned towards Sally.

"Could you do me another favor, Sally? Could you please go to the Meeting Hall, and tell everyone that I will be in shortly." He asked. Sally nodded, but was getting a strange feeling that Jack was sort of trying to get rid of her. He smiled and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thank you." Behind him Shock was making a gagging gesture.

Jack watched Sally as she left, retreating down the street, and around the corner, into the Town Meeting Hall. When he could not see her any more the smile faded from his face entirely, immediately being replaced by doubt and worry, two things that did not sit well with Jack's visage. He turned, facing the two people he had brought here. Both of them, even Shock looked back at him a little uneasily.

"What has happened?" The doctor asked grimly, while setting his own book next to Jack's.

"The laws being broken." Jack answered softly. The doctors response came immediately.

"Impossible. No one can tamper with that law. It goes outside human boundaries…both dead and alive!" Jack was nodding, but not in a way that meant he agreed.

"That's what I thought too. But it's carried out by people whose job it is to do so…and I suppose in that sense it can be broken too." The doctor looked at Jack in disbelief.

"Wait… your saying that an official from the World Of The Undead is doing this…I thought you were talking about someone in town." Jack shook his head.

"He isn't either. He was banished from both town and The Undead World. Do you remember The Pumpkin King from a long time ago…maybe one or two kings before me…I can't remember…but anyway he called himself Murdock Manifesto…lasted a couple years before he was finally kicked out because of all of the problems he was causing in the mortal world?"

Jack said this very quickly as though he were in a hurry to get it all out, and afterwards got a very blank look from both the doctor and Shock, who had been in the process of torturing a small spider that was crawling on the surface of the well, but was now looking at him with a raised brow.

"No." The doctor said simply. A look of frustration crossed over Jacks face. He looked at Shock.

"You've been around for almost as long as I have. Him and Oogie Boogie used to be constantly at each others throats. It got so bad that they eventually went to great pains to make sure they were on opposite sides of the Town at all times." The blank look on Shocks face began to subside.

"You mean King Blunder." She said, a crawling look of dislike filling her face. Jack narrowed his eyes.

"Who?" He said bewilderedly.

"Oogie always called Murdock King Blunder. I really don't remember why, but that's what he called him. What business does he have tampering with the law?" She asked, while making a sour face.

"I think it was his job after he left town, or something like that."

"What idiot would give an important job like that to a moron like him." Jack shrugged, while tossing an impatient look over his shoulder, towards the hall.

"Listen, we can't talk about this now. The main reason I brought both of you out her was to warn you, but before I go and warn the rest of the town that we do indeed have an intruder here in…" He was interrupted.

"He's here!" The doctor said, alarmed. Jack looked at him with surprise.

"Of course…what did you think I meant by getting you out here."

"Well where? Where is he?" The doctor asked, looking about him as though expecting to see him somewhere lurking in veiw.

"I don't know…somewhere…." The doctor looked very uncomfortable in light of this unfortunate news. Jack didn't seam to notice.

"As I was saying, before I warn the rest of the town I needed to ask you about something Doctor." The doctor nodded, looking a bit distracted.

"When I saw him, he was in my Tower and he…" Jack paused, and then proceeded slowly. "He did something to me…and I'm not quite sure what he did."

The doctor rose his brow.

"Why, what sort of thing did he do to you?"

"Well, it felt like he was taking something from me…he used one of those charms that most of the top officials wear. It had pictures or something on it." Jack folded his hands behind his back and took a few steps forward as he explained the occurrence. The doctor narrowed his eyes and picked the old book off of the fountain. Jack watched as he flipped through the pages. He got to one page and paused, then he tipped the book up so Jack could see.

"Is this it?" Jack leaned forward to look at the picture. What he saw was an exact sketch of the charm Murdock had been wearing, under it was the name The Amulet of Despair.

"Sounds reassuring." Jack said, sounding very depressed.

"This is serious." The doctor said, as his eyes scanned the words written around the picture.

"What…" Jack asked, sounding worried.

"Well…if he did actually take from you what I think he did, then your about to be in very bad shape, Jack." The doctor closed the book and fixed Jack with a sober look.

"And what sort of shape is that?" Jack asked, a little worry edging into his voice. The doctor cleared his throat.

"Just about as bad of shape a dead man can be in. I'd give it a couple days and then after that…I'm afraid you wont be much of a threat to anyone, never mind Murdock." Jack lowered himself onto the fountain.

"What am I going to do. We can't contact anyone from outside of town, Murdock's hiding somewhere around here, and I wont be able to do anything about it." The doctor shook his head.

"And you know the people in this town. They won't last a day without a leader." The doctor said. Jack sighed and lowered his head.

"I know." He said quietly. After a few moments of silence, Jack stood up.

"What are you doing?" The doctor asked quickly.

"I'm going to the Meeting Hall and warning the town. You guys should probably find somewhere where Murdock won't be able to find you when he finally decides to come out of hiding." The doctor halted Jack.

"Hold on, you aren't going to tell them about you are you?" he asked.

"I don't see what choice I have, they'll find out soon anyway." Jack said bitterly. The doctor shook his head.

"Don't, no need to start the panic early. Leave that part about the amulet out. It's no threat to them…at least not in the same way anyway. After your done come by my house. I'll try to mix something up to stall off whatever damage he did to you. You may lose a great part of yourself but it wouldn't hurt to have your mind around a little longer." The doctor said. Jack appeared to be thinking about this. Finally, he nodded.

"Alright. I'll only tell them what I need to." With that he turned and walked towards the Meeting Hall, where the entire town was awaiting his presence. Unseen by him, for the first time in the months she had known him, Sally watched him retreat from the fountain. Her face was full of concern, and even more so with fear.

Sorry it's taken so long to update, I just got back from the Smoky Mountains…no computer up there. I should be done with Chapter Eight of Pumpkin Town soon too. It's already nearly finished…I just need a good place to stop. I hope this chapter sounded Alright. It felt really rusty. Anyway. I should be able to update more often now, and I plan to try and get more done this week since I'm on Spring Break. Thank you for reading my story. I very much enjoy your comments.

Dani


	5. An Offer They Can't Refuse

(To Skeleton The Wanderer.): Hehe, thank you for the grammar advice.

(To everyone.) I apologize to anyone reading my stories if my terrible grammar wrecks them in any way. I consider it an improvement on my part that you can even read the story in the first place. I used to have really horrible grammar habits. (Like uh…leaving out periods and paragraphs and capital letters.)

I'll try to watch it more closely. Thank you for reading my stories, and I really appreciate your feedback.

Chapter Four:

An Offer They Can't Refuse

The Meeting Hall was full of impatient people when Jack entered. He sighed and headed to the front of the room, where his podium stood, looking like a tired bit of equipment to Jack at the moment. He climbed the stairs and looked out at all of the curious faces.

"What's going on Jack?" The mayor asked.

"I have an announcement to make." Jack said over the scattering noises of curiosity and unease about the room.

"Did you inform the authorities? When will they get here?" The mayor questioned. Jack shook his head.

"We can't reach the outside, no one is coming." There was an outbreak of worried comments throughout the room at this.

"But what about the intruder, what if he's dangerous?" Someone asked from the back of the room. Jack sighed.

"He is, that's what this meeting is about. The ghoul who broke through the gate earlier today goes by the name of Murdock Manifesto. Some of you may remember him. He used to be The Pumpkin King here."

"But Jack…" Said a witch in the corner. "You're the Pumpkin King." He nodded.

"Yes, I am now. He used to be."

"But…" Said another. "You've…always been the Pumpkin King." Jack shook his head.

"I haven't." The mayor looked at Jack bewilderedly.

"Of course you have Jack, for as long as I can remember anyway." The crowd agreed."

"Well, I haven't." Jack said, he sounded aggravated. Sally slipped into the room unnoticed, and stood in the back, watching Jack, and waiting for him to finish his announcement, so she could talk to him.

"Jack, you must have hit you head or something I…"

"Look…" He interrupted loudly, getting a startled look from the mayor. "I haven't! Now stop wasting my time, and let me get on with this!" The crowd fell silent. A ghoul and a vampire shared a nervous look.

"He is here! We are alone! I'm telling you this to warn you that he is dangerous! If he speaks to you, do not listen, he lies! If you see him don't confront him!" A mummy in the far left gathered his courage and spoke in a tiny voice.

"What will you be doing, Jack."

"Yeah…how are you going to fix this?" Asked a werewolf. Jack was quiet for a moment before answering. To the crowd, he suddenly looked almost impossibly tired.

"I need to find out how to get rid of him, or at least stall him off for as long as I can until someone from the outside comes to find him. Just remember what I told you." He stood up to his full height and exited the stage, eyes followed him as he went, and a quiet confused chattering broke out throughout the hall. As he neared the back of the room he saw Sally, and noted, nervously to himself, that she did not look happy at all. Apparently, there were a few things scarier then an intruder and himself.

"Sally what…" She grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him out of the room.

Outside, Jack found himself, for the first time in a very long time, to be entirely speechless. Sally was looking at him coldly.

"Um…" Jack started, Sally didn't let him get any further.

"I want to know what's going on, Jack. And I want to know what's wrong with you…" She still had his wrist in her hand. "I'm not letting go until you tell me." Her look softened a little, and Jack saw a great lot of worry there where the anger had been. He felt a little ashamed.

"Alright." He said softly, shaking her loosened hand from his wrist.

"But let's at least walk towards the doctors, and try to get away from everyone else. I don't want them to hear." Sally nodded and followed Jack as he led her away from the Meeting Hall.

Back at Oogie Boogie's Tree House, Lock and Barrel were going through an array of various torture devices they had stuffed in a cabinet on the far side of the 'play room' and occasionally using them on each other, whenever the situation called for it (Which was actually quite often.) when a earsplitting sound interrupted their concentration (Or whatever concentration they needed to poke and prod each other with sharp objects.)

"What was that?" Lock said, while in the process of trying to stuff Barrel into a large human shaped box with sharp and infectious looking spikes lined along it's walls. Barrel shrugged and took the opportunity to slip out from under Locks grasp. He backed away from the bigger boy a little and grabbed a nearby pitchfork in case he tried to pursue him and try it again.

"Maybe it's Shock." Lock said, looking grudgingly at the doorway. "I can't believe she left me here with you for this long.! And she went off with Jack!" Barrel nodded in agreement and set the pitchfork aside.

"Yeah, but I don't think Shock can make a noise like that." Barrel said.

Lock paused and glared at Barrel, who had resumed going through a box of rusty spear heads. His hand paused at the edge of the box when the sound happened again. This time, both boys recognized for what it was. They shared a look of alarm.

"Someone's messing with Oogie Boogie's game room!" Lock said, his voice was ebbing with certain disbelief. It had been several months since Jack had unraveled Oogie Boogie, but between Lock Shock and Barrel, there was still a certain understanding, and that was: Oogie Boogie's Game Room, or Lair, if one prefers it, was off limits!

"It couldn't be Shock, could it?" Barrel asked, while half pulling off his mask and looking nervously towards the old pipe where they used to deliver food to Oogie Boogie's lair. Lock shook his head.

"Better not be! Come on!" He half dragged Barrel out of the play room.

When they were on the small, and very unsteady looking bridge that led into the upper part of the Tree House, Lock stopped and peered anxiously into the crack where a couple of the floor boards were missing. He looked at Barrel.

"If we go down there, technically, we're not in the Game Room." Lock said. Barrel nodded in agreement.

"Great…" Lock said. "You can go first." With that he pushed Barrel into the hole, who let out a cry of rage, which turned into an 'oof' as he hit the ground. Lock leaned over the hole.

"How does it look?" He asked Barrel, who was grumbling below his breath.

"Fine!" Barrel answered. He grinned wickedly and grabbed the side of the cage that they usually took around the Tree House. "You can come down now." Lock nodded and jumped down himself. Barrel pulled the cage forward so that it was underneath Lock when he landed. As he did he let out a cry of pain and Barrel burst out laughing.

Lock pulled himself off of the cage and charged Barrel down, who didn't try too hard to block him off because he was still laughing too hard, and felt that it was worth the pain anyway.

Lock hit him across the face, as he did his mask flew off and landed in the corner. He was about to hit him again, but caught sight of the crack in the wall that led down to the lair, and stopped. He let Barrel go.

"I hear someone." He said, and inched forward to the crevice. Barrel went to the corner and got his mask, then rejoined Lock, who was peering anxiously into the darkness. A soft voice was coming out of the blackness, sounding like the wind when it passed over something that makes it groan and whistle. Both boys shared a look of worry, then leaned forward to try and hear the voice better. Whoever it was, was singing.

_'No more hiding under mattresses_

_Or slinking in the dark, _

_Hiding in the closet'_

_Of the children that he marks…_

_No one will find him calling their_

_Name beneath their bed…_

He can't do anything about me… 

_Because the Boogie Man is dead'_

After the last line whoever it was laughed coldly. Lock and Barrel backed away from the crack in the wall at the same time.

"That isn't Shock." Barrel said quietly. Lock shook his head and looked up at the hole where the bridge was.

"Let's go and wait for her to come back, then we'll find out what we're going to do about this intruder." Lock said. Barrel nodded and they both started back up to the bridge. When they got up, Barrel looked nervously towards the gate that led into town from the Tree House, making a mental note that it was open slightly, and wondering if Shock and Jack could have done it, or if it had been someone else. When he turned to follow Lock back to the Play Room he ran into someone head on and was grabbed by the waste, beside him Lock was in a similar predicament, but was putting up a much better fight. It stopped when both boys were flung to the ground violently. They looked up.

Hovering over them, his face inches away from there's was a terrible looking apparition, who was grinning like a mad man. The grin was bad, but the worst part about him was his eyes, which were uncovered as he took his hat off. They were huge and covered in red veins which winded through them looking like blood had spilled into his whites. Both eyes were discolored, one was bright red, and the other was yellow and they both gave one the feeling that they were peering out from a head that was creating terrible things. Lock and Barrel gaped at him for a moment, then, when their initial shock wore off, Lock's face hardened.

"Hey! We don't let people back here, so bug off!" Lock said. The man's smile wore off a little and he replaced his hat.

"I see…" The man said. "Your stupid…" The man said simply, making Lock look at him in half rage and half offense. "But…not quite as stupid as I hoped you would be." He finished. He pulled a charm out from his neck and looked at the two boys, scanning over their faces.

"And neither of you is the one I'm looking for." Lock and Barrel looked at each other, then glared at the man fearlessly.

"You were the one in Oogie Boogie's lair…" Barrel said.

"We don't like it when people go in there." Lock said, his look was full of warning. Murdock looked at both of them in amusement.

"I remember you, you're the Boogie man's little henchmen. Well he's dead now and I'm willing to give twice of what he gave you if you start working for me." Lock looked at him oddly.

"What are you talking about, Oogie Boogie never gave us anything, he made us work for him, we did it because if we were working for him we knew he wouldn't ever be after us."

Barrel took a nervous step backwards after Lock said this. After he did Murdock's face began to changed, as he grinned his teeth grew sharp and longer, and beneath his hat his eyes glowed a fierce red. He flung both arms out, making both of his black and purple striped sleeves rip as his arms got longer. By now Lock was trying to back up to, but to no avail, both boys were grabbed by the color and pulled forward.

"Exactly! And to you I induce TWICE of what he ever executed! So…" He let both boys go and began to withdraw back into his original appearance. "Do we have a deal…or…would you like to see another demonstration of the imbursement you will be receiving." Barrel swallowed, and shared an agonized look with Lock who agreed silently. Years and Years working for Oogie Boogie had only ended months before, and they were already being forced to work for someone else.

"That's what I thought. Now, there was another one. Where is she?" Suddenly Lock looked up.

"Jack!" Murdock narrowed his eyes.

"Excuse me?"

Lock grinned wickedly.

"Shock's with Jack." He said. Murdock looked frustrated for a moment.

"That blasted…I can't wait until he's reduced to dust! No matter, she'll have to come back eventually, when she does, we'll be waiting for her." He grinned again and grabbed both boys by the shoulder.

"Come on boys, we have planning to do." They didn't move for a moment. Murdock gave them a challenging look and leaned forward.

"I said…come…on." He whispered dangerously. Both boys exchanged another look, then, defeated, they led him back to the Tree House.

The trip to the doctor's house was a quiet one. Sally found herself nervously playing with her fingers, and constantly looking at Jack, who was keeping a little bit in front of her for most of the way. When they finally reached the door Jack stopped and gave Sally a small and not very reassuring smile. He knocked on the door, and then dropped his hand to his side and waited quietly. Sally decided to break the silence.

"Jack." He looked at her. His countenance was brimming with unease and uncertainty, two things that looked very foreign and wrong on his face, like they had gotten there by mistake.

"Are you alright?" Jack smiled weakly and took her in his arms.

"Listen Sally, I love you, and-" The door opened and the doctor peered out. He gave Sally and Jack a quick look over and rolled his eyes.

"I thought we agreed you wouldn't say anything to anyone!" Jack parted the embrace.

"I haven't said anything yet." He said.

"Well, why is she here?" Sally stepped forward in determination.

"I want to know what's going on." The doctor shook his head.

"This isn't any of your business, Sally." She didn't back off.

She was about to say something else when Jack stopped her by grabbing her gently by the shoulders.

"It's alright." He said to the doctor, who looked at him in aggravation

"I want her here." He said. The doctor looked back and forth between them.

"Fine! But if she gets in the way…" He didn't finish, but turned around and headed back into the house. Jack motioned for Sally to follow. She did so quietly, looking at the floor in a sort of embarrassed manner. Jack watched her go in, then looked down the street across town. He wondered briefly where Murdock was hiding out. Maybe if he could find out early, he could get him before it went beyond his power. He shook his head and walked in the door, hoping that the doctor knew what he was doing and that his concoction would turn out better then some of the food dishes he preferred.

Hurray, I got one more chapter in before Spring Break officially ended! Unfortunately the next week is going to be insane, and I'm going to have absolutely no free time, so I can't possible update again until at least Friday: p Oh well. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm grateful for the feedback!


	6. Something Is Not Right

Chapter Five:

Something Is Not Right

Sally was sitting in the corner of the doctors kitchen, waiting patiently for Jack and Dr. Finkelstien to return from the laboratory.

She kept switching between fiddling with her fingers and running her hands through her hair to keep herself calm. Jack hadn't said much to her about what Murdock had done to him. All he had said was that it could be serious and that he wouldn't be sure exactly what it would do until it happened. To her own shame, she doubted his honesty.

She was worried about him. He wasn't acting like himself at all. She couldn't quite put her finger on exactly what was so different about him. He seemed…less confident. He had also begun to look quite worried. The whole incident appeared to have left him a bit shaken.

Sally looked nervously towards the door to the lab. She bit her lip. She was trying to be patient, but it was very hard when one was worried about someone they cared about. She was about to get up and check on them when the doctor and Jack came through the door and walked into the room. Jack offered her a small smile, which she returned hastily. They shared a look of equal concern.

Sally stood up and laced her fingers together.

"Thank you Doctor." Jack was saying as they approached her. He had a mournful look on his face as he said it. The doctor nodded, also looking slightly grim

"Come see me again tomorrow. I'm not sure how long it will last. Come as soon as you begin to feel that something isn't right." The doctor said. He cast a brief look at Sally before turning away and heading back towards his lab.

Sally approached Jack and touched his arm. He turned towards her.

"What did he do?" She asked softly.

"He just made up a sort of a remedy." Jack hastily changed the subject. "Let's go home." He headed for the front door.

Sally watched his back nervously. As she did she began to feel a foreboding sense of insight. She had had visions before, and this was not entirely different from those. Standing there, in the darkness of the doctors kitchen she was suddenly sure that something dark and horrible was going to happen in Halloween Town. Something Jack could easily handle on his own…but Jack wouldn't be there, not this time, and without him…they were doomed. After all, she had seen what the people of Halloween Town acted like every day. The way they had acted towards her, the way they acted when they couldn't find Jack even for a few minutes, or when they couldn't keep his attention for the entire time while they were making a big deal out of tiny things. If this small intuitive of hers was correct, they were all in hopeless danger…but more importantly…Jack was in danger.

She followed him out the door. She was close to tears.

As they reached the gate Jack reached inside his coat and pulled out a coin, as he often did when he passed the band. Tonight the song they were playing sounded tragic to Sally. (Although, she supposed it almost always did.) Jack flipped the coin towards the trombone player. It flickered in the light briefly before…hitting the edge of the twisted instrument and falling bitterly towards the ground. Jacks stopped walking and stared at it for a moment, looking surprised. The look would have been comical if it wasn't so terrible.

"It's alright. I've got it." The trombone player said in his nasally voice as he dipped to the ground and picked up Jacks coin. When he rose, Sally saw that he was trying to look pleasant, but a strange look had crossed over his face. The look had spread throughout the rest of the band as well. It looked a bit like confusion, except perhaps, more dreadful then that. After all, everything was suppose to work for Jack, absolutely everything. Jack seemed to dismiss it as he headed through the gate.

Sally followed, as she mounted the steps she heard the band say something behind her, that caused a chill to travel down her spine.

"He's never missed before." One of them said softly.

She closed the front door behind her and began the slow ascension to Jack's tower. Before she got very far she saw Jack sitting in his kitchen.

"Jack." She called to him softly.

"Go on." He answered. He sounded preoccupied. "I'll be up soon." Sally paused, for a moment, just staring at his thin form, before she continued up the stairs.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­

It had gotten dark in Halloween Town. The large moon, which was always full hung above the town ominously. It seemed to foretell of future hindrances.

Shock hardly noticed or cared about this. She was in a bad mood. Usually, her, Lock, and Barrel lived on spontaneity. They took chances and just did things. Thinking, although playing some part in their plans (Usually only in her part.) was not used in a sense of thinking of consequences or dangers. Still, here she was, very much wanting to go back to Oogie's manor, but not doing it because she had a funny feeling about it.

She frowned and kicked at a small creature that had scurried beneath her foot.

She remembered Murdock. He was an idiot. Although she could hardly remember everything from that time; Jack, for instance, she could recall the man that drove her boss crazy. And if he was anything like he was then, she didn't think Jack should have too many problems with him. Still, something wasn't right. She looked up at the fence, scanning it briefly, till she came to the place where there were still pumpkins hanging.

Before she had left she had reminded Lock and Barrel to sneak up and take the rest of them. They could have just forgotten. She didn't think either of them were very bright, still, the whole situation made her uncomfortable.

Murdock used to hang around the tree house a lot. He had done it just to annoy Oogie Boogie, because he had built the place outside of town and had gone to great pains to get the agitating Pumpkin King off his back. Needless to say, it hadn't worked, but that wasn't the point.

Wouldn't it have made sense for Murdock to first handle Jack and then Oogie Boogie. After all, he was the only one in town aside from Jack who could have put up a fight with Murdock at all. Shock thought it did. She thought that he had perhaps gone straight to the tree house after confronting Jack and after finding that Oogie was no more, perhaps he had just stayed there. If that was the case, she couldn't go back.

On the other hand, Murdock had never really been all that bright either. Not to mention, he had always feared Oogie Boogie, whether he was to admit it or not. Maybe he would have put off a confrontation like that.

Shock sighed. For a moment she stared at the gathering shadows and the strange shapes the moonlight made on the twisted looking buildings.

After a few long moments she made her decision. She would go back, but only for a bit and at the first sign of something strange, she would head back to town. If Murdock wasn't there now, he would be eventually. She would go back just long enough to say something to Lock and Barrel and to grab a few things she may need, then, she thought, much to her dismay, that she would have to go to Jack. She stood up and headed slowly towards Oogie Boogie's manor.

Sally was sitting in dusty chair which sat in front of the window. She was staring outside as the silvery moonlight poured into the lovely cathedral style windows, sending deep shadows running over everything. She was waiting for Jack to come through the door into the room. Her concentration on Halloween Town was abruptly interrupted when she _heard_ Jack coming up the stairs. She sat upright and stared at the trap door in disbelief. She never heard Jack coming up the stairs, ever. She never even heard him when he was in the same room and was coming up behind her.

The door opened and Sally turned away quickly, as though knowing he was coming was something to be guilty about.

When he stepped into the room she turned towards him slowly. He closed the door and looked up, meeting her eyes. He looked deeply troubled. When there eyes met, Jack's face changed to that of surprise, and then concern. Sally didn't understand this until she became aware that she was crying.

Jack stood up to his full height and crossed the room silently. He outstretched one skeletal hand towards her, which she took gratefully and he lifted her out of the chair, and pulled her towards him. Sally buried her face in his ribs as he wrapped her in his long arms.

"I'm sorry, Sally." He said softly. Sally bit her lip and returned his embrace, aware that she was probably squeezing him a bit harder then usual. She had been upset for most of the day and hadn't been mindful of how much she needed to feel his embrace and hear him say that things would be alright. She would believe him, even if she knew better.

"I promise you that things will work out. You don't have to worry." he said. She swallowed and nodded against his chest.

The clock struck nine. Jack sighed.

"I should probably get to bed, I have to get up early tomorrow." Sally sighed against him. He sounded fairly normal again. His voice was full of it's regular confidence. This eased her nerves a little. She pulled away from him.

Jack smiled at her and wiped what remained of her tears from her face.

"Will you come to sleep with me." He said while running his bony fingers through her bright red locks. He was grinning. It made her happy to see this.

"Of course." She said in a small voice. She was smiling now too.

"Wonderful." He said softly. He took her tiny hand in his own and led her towards their bed. She was relieved to notice that his footsteps did not make a sound as he did.

She did not know that it caused him great effort to do this, a thing that usually would have come so naturally to him.

After they were changed into their night clothes and were under their sheets. Sally wrapped her arms around his thin form and felt him do the same.

"Goodnight Sally." He whispered to her as he kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight." She answered. She smiled lightly. For the first time since Jack had begun to act troubled she felt maybe her vision and predictions could have perhaps been wrong. She slept easily that night. Something she would need for many sleepless nights to come.

Jack did not.

He lay awake for a long time after Sally drifted off. He stared at the windows and the walls of his room. For the first time in his life it felt like the room was much too large. The shadows in the corners drifted in and out of his vision. They were shadows that could be hiding anything. It made him nervous. This was a feeling he did not like…something he was not used to.

As the moonlight drifted about his face it revealed his doubtful expression. He was glad Sally was not awake. He didn't feel at all like himself at all at the moment.

When Jack finally did drift off it was close to midnight. He would rise at Four o' clock the next morning and for the last time before things began to get really bad, he would be able to sneak out without Sally noticing. They wouldn't see each other after that for a very long time.

Hurray! It's been a while since I updated this story. I've had writers block for it for a while. Oh well, I think that's over now. I have a clear idea of what's going on and what's going to happen next. Hmm, things don't look too good though do they. I hope you enjoyed this chapter I will update again soon (On all my stories.)


	7. The Things That Were Taken

Hahahaha Sorry guys. Torment is my specialty. I'll try to tell you what's wrong in this chapter. But your probably going to have to wait till the end of the story to figure out how it's going to be fixed.

Chapter Six

The Things That Were Taken

Lock was angrily gathering up several dangerous objects, while occasionally casting an annoyed look at a battered mirror, which was one of the many new decorations Murdock had placed inside of their playroom. It wasn't the mirror itself that was causing him so much aggravation, but what it was reflecting back at him. Murdock had decided that because they were now his new henchmen, that they should wear what he preferred, and therefore had made Lock and Barrel give up their costumes, which they had both done grudgingly (Considering they had been wearing them since their dying day.) and put up their masks so that their wardrobe could consist of only the color purple and black.

Lock wasn't fond of the color purple. He assumed that had Shock been there, the wardrobe wouldn't have bothered her too much, it was what she wore anyway. But he was nearly going out of his mind serving their new master and it hadn't yet been a full day. For once, Lock found himself sincerely hoping that Jack would show up soon and put an end to their new masters ludicrous and demented mischief.

Lock took another look at the mirror and lost himself for a moment as he threw a particularly horrendous looking mace at it out of anger. It hit the glass and fell motionless towards the ground. A large crack had formed at the place it had hit. Lock watched in fascination as the crack spread and then erupted into a shower of fragmented glass. His eyes widened. Murdock was not going to like this. A voice behind him made him jump.

"What did you idiots do to this place?" Lock spun around, a look of horror planted on his face.

Shock was standing in the doorway of the Evil Playroom with a strange look on her face. He relaxed when he saw her.

"Where have you been?" He said. He dropped a sharp object that had been clutched in his left hand and approached her. Shock gave him an up and down look and then rose her brow.

"Interesting look for you." She said sarcastically.

"Shut up. While you were gone traipsing around with Jack we were here being invaded by some freakish nut case who's got an attitude that makes Oogie Boogie look mild tempered."

"Murdock." Shock said. Her eyes swept across the room at all of the changes Murdock had made since just the previous afternoon.

"You know about him? Well who in the heck does he think he is?" Lock asked desperately.

"Where's Barrel?" Shock asked, ignoring Locks pleading question, much to his annoyance.

"How am I suppose to know? He's had us doing so many jobs since yesterday I can't keep track of where anybody is!" Lock yelled angrily.

"Well, do you know where Murdock is?" A serious look crossed her face.

"Not right now. I think he's down in the torture chamber…probably re- decorating!" Lock cast a dark look towards the decorations in the room as he said this.

"Great. Then I'll be going." Locks eyes widened as Shock grabbed a few of the weapons and started to head back out the way she came in.

"Hey wait, you can't just leave us here!"

"Your big boys. Take care of yourselves!" She said.

Lock followed her out the door.

"Shock, wait! This isn't fair!" He said angrily as they reached the bottom of the branch that the playroom was propped up on. She spun around.

"Fair? Since when are we fair? I'm getting out while I still can!" She yanked open the door to the cage they used as an elevator and stepped inside. Lock stopped in front of it and gave her a dirty look.

"But what about us?" He said, there was a hurt sound in his voice.

"Oh, don't go getting all helpless and babyish on me! You two can handle your own problems! We have tons of practice at being seditious."

"But this guy is even worse then Oogie Boogie! I mean…I'm starting to think he could even be worse then Jack!"

"Please. I know this guy. He couldn't put up a fight with Jack if he tore both of his arms off first!" She said, while closing the cage door with a bang.

"Well you must be remembering the wrong guy!" Lock grabbed the bars on the cage to keep it from going down.

"Let go, you idiot!"

"Make me!" Shock picked up a large club she had taken from the Play room and swung it at his fingers. Lock yelled in pain and yanked his hands away from the cage when it connected. He took a few steps back and watched in desperate frustration as the cage gave a lurch and went down.

"Shock!" He ran to the ledge and looked down.

"WENCH!" He yelled loudly. His voice then dropped.

"Come back."

Jack was sitting in front of a large window looking over the scenery Sally herself had looked over many times in the first years of her life. He had only been in her room once before and for only a second, but of all of the places in the doctors house her room was the most comfortable to him. This was mostly because it reminded him of her. He sighed.

Things weren't going well. His bones were shuddering, he was becoming more and more clumsy at making his limbs do what he wanted them to, and a strange sense of doubt and misery was beginning to wash over him. The concoction the doctor had mixed up helped a little, but he was given strict orders from the doctor himself to only use it when he needed it, there was only so much of the stuff and he could not go wasting it all at once.

Jack ran his bony fingers over the glass of Sally's old window and wondered briefly if she had awakened yet and what she would think when she saw he was gone. He hated to worry her, but he could hardly bare being seen like he was now, especially by her and staying in his house was dangerous in his condition.

He wasn't any sort of match for Murdock anymore. The only advantage he still had over the maniac was his ability to think logically, and he understood that as the days grew shorter for him and as the potion wore off he wouldn't be able to do even that for too much longer. His only hope was to think up some sort of plan before then. But Jack was finding this increasingly difficult as a great many other things worked their way into his mind.

Jack pulled a small watch from his pocket that was colored a particularly inky shade of black and which reflected the image of an arachnid and looked at the time. In thin spidery letters the clock read back to him; _Your time is almost up._

He frowned and let out a quick growl of frustration as he pulled the tiny instrument off of it's spider web chain and tossed it unceremoniously into the corner. He then went to Sally's bed and lowered himself onto it, while cradling his skull in his skeleton hands.

"Things do not look well." He said quietly to himself.

In her sleep, Sally heard a faint whining. As her dreams faded, and the whining grew louder, she became aware of what it was. She opened her eyes and sat up, looking in the direction of Zero's bed. She saw that he was instead, in front of the window.

"Zero?" She said softly. She noted that Jack wasn't in bed and felt a faint bout of unsettlement as it registered with her. It wasn't uncommon for Jack to be up before her. In fact, he almost always was, but with the way things had been going, she knew she would feel much better when she confirmed that he was still there…somewhere inside the house.

Zero let out another whine. Sally stood and went to the window, peering out of it unnervingly.

"What is it?" She asked the dog, who cast her a brief look before darting through the floor. Sally bit her lip and began to change out of her night clothes. Then, as quickly as she could, she opened the trap door and hurried down the stairs.

"Jack?" She said loudly as she did. "Jack."

She called his name while she searched the house briefly. When it became obvious to her that he was not there she lowered herself into one of the wooden dining chairs.

"It's alright. He's almost never home." She said to herself. Beside her, Zero floated up and barked loudly. Sally ignored him.

For a moment she just sat there in silence. She didn't move until she heard the low sound of music playing from outside the house.

"That's it!" She said as she stood. She went to the door, Zero close at her heels and flung it open. At the bottom of the stairs, behind the gate, the band played as they did every day in front of Jack's house.

Sally approached them slowly.

"Excuse me." She said quietly.

The base player stopped first and blinked at her in surprise. The others followed after.

"Yes Miss Sally?" The large base player asked, while half turning towards her.

"Have you seen Jack?" She asked nervously. The band members shared a look with each other. Finally, the trombone player spoke up.

"We saw him this morning, but we don't know where he went?"

"He hasn't been back since." One of the others added.

"What time did he leave?" Sally asked fearfully.

"Around four, I think." The base player said. Sally nodded sadly.

"Alright." She said.

She started back towards the house, then, on second thought, began heading towards town. She thought a walk might calm her nerves.

"We'll tell you if we see him." One of the band members shouted after her. Sally didn't answer.

Barrel walked into the Evil Playroom, clad in a similar outfit to the that of Locks and gave the older boy a depressed look.

"That guys crazy." He said while tossing a bit of rope into the corner absently.

"He just had me gather up all of the rope and thread in Oogie's manner and burn it. Then he said he had something important to take care of and that if we saw Shock while he was out, we should keep her in one place until he gets back."

Barrel sat down against the wall and sighed. He looked at Lock and raised his brow.

Lock was sitting in the opposite corner. He didn't say anything to Barrel when he came in and still wasn't talking, which was bit odd for him. Barrel eyed the broken mirror in curiosity.

"What's with you?" He asked after a moment. Lock glared at him. Barrel recoiled a little.

The older boy was running a piece of the mirror through his fingers. Then, as though the tiny piece of glass angered him, he flung it violently towards the wall that Barrel was sitting against. Barrel's eyes widened and he quickly ducked out of the way from the jagged shard. Lock jumped up angrily.

"Barrel, you ask the dumbest questions! We're being ordered around by some psycho, we're wearing purple, and Shock just ran off and left me here with you! What the heck do you THINK is with me?" He grabbed something else heavy and threw it at the younger boy who managed to get out of the way before it came in painful contact with his head.

Barrel stood up and backed away from Lock who was standing in the corner and looking at him like the whole incident had been his fault.

"When did Shock come back?" Barrel asked, desperate to get the question in, but still trying to avoid Lock in case he decided to fling something else dangerous in his direction.

"Earlier. She split right afterwards, the WITCH!" Lock kicked at something near bye. Barrel relaxed a little.

"Well it's good she's gone." He said after Lock finally started to calm down. Lock raised his brow.

"How is any of this good? This guy is nuts! You've seen him. I don't want to have to spend two more seconds under the orders of this…this…" His words died in his throat. Barrel watched as Locks expression turned to horrified misery. His eyes were set on a place right above the younger boys shoulder. Barrel spun around quickly.

There was nothing there.

He turned back around and stared at Lock in confused terror.

"Lock…what's wrong with you?" Barrel asked.

The older boys face relaxed as he backed up and sat down in an old chair that was tilting slightly backwards because one of the legs had been sawed off (A thing that had happened in the midst of one of the three children's regular disputes.) The boy stared at one of the shadows on the wall and rubbed at his eyes absently. He shook his head.

"I could have sworn he was just here. This guy is freaking me out. I'd rather be locked in a room with Jack and Oogie Boogie after I've made them both angry then be anywhere near this guy."

"That's why it's good Shock's not here." Barrel was whispering, as though afraid he might be heard. "That nutcase was talking to me earlier. Well, sort of. I think he was talking mostly to himself…but he said that he needed to get rid of all of the people who followed this law…or something. He said that if Shock came back, he would kill her." Lock was shaking his head.

"He's crazy. He can't kill Shock. She's already dead."

"He said there was a way. Because of the way she died the first time." Lock stared at Barrel with wide eyes.

"That's stupid. No one can do that…can they?"

"As a matter of fact. They can." Both boys looked towards the sound of the voice.

Murdock was leaning casually on the doorway. Neither of the boys had heard him approach.

"You know, I really ought to teach you boys a lesson about talking about people behind their backs. Calling people crazy isn't nice you know." His grinned stretched across his lips. "Naughty boys ought be punished." Lock swallowed hard.

"You are nuts…if you think you can get away with anything under Jacks watch." The boy said, while backing away from the dark man, who was approaching him slowly. Barrel had hurried to the other side of the room as well.

"Yeah…we've tried hundreds of times…it isn't possible." Barrel added. Murdock stopped, a comical expression covering his face.

He roared laughter. For a moment, both boys were overcome with an eerie chill, which ran down both their spines. He sounded a lot like Jack when he laughed…almost shockingly so. The only difference, was his laughter was not sane or good at all.

"Jack! You think that bone head is going to stop me. I'm way ahead of you. I've already gotten him out of the picture!"

Both boys gaped at him.

"Liar! There's no way…"

"Silence!" He grabbed Lock by his shirt and flung him into the broken glass that rested beneath the mirror.

"I don't lie. That idiot is working on turning into dust somewhere."

Lock sat up and shook some glass from his hair. He stared at Murdock in horrified confusion.

"But…how…how could you have gotten rid of him…how can you kill someone who…"

"Whose already dead? Oh you can't. I didn't kill Jack. I just simply, took his life away." The room was silent for a moment.

"Okay…" Barrel said slowly. Murdock rounded on him. A horrible grin had swallowed his face.

"You see, it's like this. Everything Jack Skellington was, the things that he has achieved over the years, the power that I never dreamed that skinny bony idiot could attain…is mine now. I took away his life force. I took away his talent. And next…I plan to take away his THRONE. Do you get it now?" His face was inches away from Barrels.

"Not really…" The boy said slowly. Murdock backed away a little.

"It's easy. I have Jacks power. He has nothing. Therefore, he can't save you…or this town, and there is no one who can stop me." Barrels eyes widened. Behind Murdock, Locks were doing the same.

"Now…since we are about to embark upon a long and…interesting relationship I believe it is time you boys discover what it is like to be punished by me for doing wrong."

Both boy watched in dread as the mans smile widened almost unfeasibly.

There we go. That's what's wrong with Jack. I decided to update on this story again to let you know what's going on before going to another one. I'm probably going to go to Special Keys For Special Doors next. Thank you for your reviews!


	8. The New Pumpkin King

Chapter seven:

The New Pumpkin King

In Halloween Town, the residents went about their business as they would on any ordinary day. They did this because they were unaware of Jacks condition and were not yet too concerned with the intruder. This would of course change very quickly, but as it were they were as happy…or…as miserable as what would be expected.

Well, most of them anyway. Some of Halloween Towns residents were quite a bit uneasy. This did not include the mayor, who was always a bit uneasy in his own way, but did include the small group of musicians outside of Jacks gate and Sally, who was heading towards town in hopes of finding Jack there and of course Lock and Barrel who were in the midst of some misfortune, but aside from them there were others who were growing a bit troubled as well.

It's fair to say that the people of Halloween Town are not precisely…intelligent. And one may even go further in saying that, in general, most people who have, you might say, expired are lacking in the area of brains. (Which is understandable considering most of them either no longer have them, or are losing them fast.) but every once in a while there are cases which seem to have been set aside.

There are six types of dead people. There are the oddly and almost scarily intellectual ones, who may, in several cases be even more intelligent then much of the living. This group included mostly high and in most cases very important entities such as the Grim reaper, Hades, Juno, Dracula and other undead figures such as these.

After them, there is a second bunch of dead people who are also quite intelligent, and have not, for some reason or another, seamed to have lost any of their cleverness from life. These usually included anyone lucky enough to remember parts of their being and people who followed The Law of Anarchic Demise.

Then, There were the ones who, although did not have the same mind they did when they were alive, could still not be considered stupid by any standards. These beings could usually tell when something was amiss…as long as they gave it a bit of hard thought. After them, intelligence went down hill. Indeed, the other three sorts of dead people included the regularly stupid ones (Which, incidentally makes up at least two thirds of the Halloween Town population.) Then the literally brainless ones (Your typical stereotypical zombie and many of the ghosts.) and finally, what, in the world of the undead, they called a 'One Timer.' These were the sort of people who died…and then did not get up afterwards.

About one sixth of Halloween Towns population was made of the third group of dead people and quite a few of them were noticing that things were going wrong. As it was, a group of them were trying to converse with the mayor after rehearsal about Jack's obvious absence and the unsettling quietness that had gone over the town in the last couple of days.

"Oh, now, the doctor said that Jack was just working with him on some important matter regarding the machinery used in the celebration this year." The mayor said to the three bewildered faces which included a witch, a vampire and a werewolf.

"I'm sure if we had to worry about this…intruder, Jack would be dealing with him right now. Since he's going about business as usual, I think its only logical that we do the same."

"But mayor…" The werewolf started in a gruff voice. "Jack said we should keep our eyes out for this Murdock guy. He said he's dangerous. Shouldn't we have someone on watch or something."

"We have someone on watch." The mayor said, obviously preoccupied with other matters.

"No Urchin, not there, It'll be off balance if you hang it there!" He shouted suddenly at a small imp who was trying desperately to hang a mask on fence post that already had several present on it.

"Uhh…vuldn't it be better if you put von mask on each fence post?" The vampire asked curiously. The mayor looked at him as though he had gone mad.

"Are you crazy! These things are replacing the jack o' lanterns! We can't have only one on each fence post!"

"Oh houv silly of me." He said, a bit irritated.

"You say we have someone on watch?" The witch said in a squeaky voice. "I don't see anyone."

The mayor turned a bit and pointed towards the fountain in the middle of the square.

"There. D. Ed Erick is keep watch right over there."

The group turned and looked bemusedly at a rather dead looking zombie who had either gone to sleep or had suddenly decided that the after life was quite dull and that his rightful place was in fact, the grave.

"He doesn't seem to be all too good of a watchman mayor." The werewolf said, stating the obvious.

"He's fine. Now don't you three have something you could be doing for Halloween." The Vampire and the witch exchanged a look and all three of them turned and stalked off, saying a few choice words about their two faced political leader beneath their breath.

"This is all your fault." Lock was hanging on a large wheel that had one time held a skeleton. His wrists were chained up and he was wearing a very aggravated look. Barrel, who was in shackles up against the wooden wall, gave the older boy a dark look.

"I didn't do anything!" He said bitterly. Lock ignored him.

"How do we get out of here?" Lock said, trying in vain to shake himself free of the locks. Barrel didn't answer, he wasn't sure.

"Ah…" Came a cold voice from above. The dark figure of Murdock drifted elegantly to the cold floor. His hat was off and revealing his wretchedly stitched up face and hellish eyes. "A bit jittery are we?" He walked lightly up to Lock who was glaring at him.

"Where is your friend? You have but one more chance to tell me."

"How the heck should I know!" Lock said angrily. He gave the chains a vicious shake.

"Wrong answer Devil Boy…" Murdock said quietly. He spun around.

"What about you? Bail you and your friend out, get off free…well…not free…nothings for free, but not in any dire misfortune anyways. Where is your friend?"

"Why do you care?" Barrel asked.

"She follows the law, WHERE IS SHE?" He kneeled towards Barrel. His lips curled in a way that would make a skeleton stop grinning.

"What law?" Barrel asked, in some way, stalling for time. He had no idea where Shock was.

"The Law Of Anarchic Demise. The rules regarding the chaotic death! Shall I go into detail?" He asked in annoyance. The boys face was blank. He rolled his repulsive eyes.

"Page 98765 of the Manual for the combusted, possessed, and recently deceased. When a human being dies before his or her time, they have not yet been given placing in the after life and therefore must follow the Law of Anarchic Demise! In which case, they are assigned to a world of their choosing and are forced, until there is an opening, to carry their souls with them, sometimes for periods as long as a century, decade, millennium or eternity! THAT is The Law Of Anarchic Demise. It means that she posses me a threat and I want to be rid of her. Understand?" There was silence in the room for a moment.

"You memorized that?" Lock said in disgust, thoroughly shattering the feeling of stillness. "I think you need a hobby or something." Murdock growled in frustration and pulled a lever. In the instance before he did, Locks eyes widened a little. The wheel he was on, which was actually more of a giant saw then a wheel began spinning furiously. He barred his teeth and shut his eyes tightly. Murdock rounded on Barrel who was watching Lock in mild fascination.

"What about you? Any wise cracks? You going to tell me where she is?" Barrel shook his head, dreading what would follow. Murdock's eyes filled with rage. They were quickly turning from a pinkish red color to a dark crimson, the color of blood.

"WHY NOT?" He growled, while grabbing the boy by his collar.

"I don't know where she is!" Barrel shouted back. With eerie strength, Murdock pulled barrel from the wall, completely splitting the shackles and hurled him across the room, and onto the revolving floor.

"Well boys, I am disappointed in you. I thought you would come to more use then this. Oh well, I suppose it can't be helped. If you'll excuse me, I believe I have a town to take over…but don't worry, I'll keep you plenty busy while I'm gone."

He turned on his heel and started out of the torture chamber, making sure to turn on a few choice appliances before he did.

Barrel stood and watched in devastation as buzz saws began to rise out of the ground and a group of mechanized men rose their metal hands, carrying their metal rifles which were, quite unfortunately pointed at him.

"Oh man…"

Sally looked around uneasily. The town looked to be going about business as it always did. There was no sign of Jack anywhere. She walked up to the mayor hesitantly.

"Um…excuse me?" The mayor turned, looking a bit miffed at being interrupted a second time. When he saw Sally, his mood worsened.

"What do you want?"

"I was just wondering if you had seen Jack lately?" She asked softly, not letting his obvious indifference towards her bother her too much.

The mayors face spun around to that of a jovial one. Sally found this a bit unsettling.

"Didn't tell you, eh? Odd, the rest of us know. He's at the doctors." There was a smugness in his voice that sally did not care for.

"Oh…alright then. Sorry I bothered you." She said softly.

"Don't let it happen again. I'm very busy." He said a bit rudely. He turned again and set to work once more on the fence posts. Sally bit her lip.

"Wouldn't it be a bit…more practical to hang one of those masks on each post?" She asked softly. The mayor wheeled around, his face once again turned to negativity.

"I didn't ask for your input! I swear, it's as though everyone's against me these days. Be off now! I'm very busy!" He turned around again. Sally narrowed her eyes and started off in the direction towards the doctors house. She only got a few steps before she heard a cackling behind her that sent shivers down her spine.

"Ahahaha! Pardon me gents and ladies, but I could not help but notice this good fellow attempting the watch has gone quite still. Pity, really when this sort of thing happens."

Sally turned and saw, to her horror, that the Phantom was back. He was holding D. Ed Erick up by the color of his faded shirt. He did, indeed, look quite motionless. Murdock's grin faded.

"Excuse me, people of Halloween town!" He said loudly. The whole town began to turn towards the sound of his voice. He was holding a large black and white striped megaphone in his hands, which had been recently torn from the mayors vehicle.

"That's mine…" The mayor said sulkily.

"And you shall have it back!." Murdock said, as he stepped off of the fountain. The residents of Halloween town watched him warily.

"I am here to announce the unfortunate passing of your previous king." As though a heavy wind had suddenly picked up confused whispers began spreading throughout the small crowd.

"And to pronounce, myself, Murdock M. Manifesto as your new Pumpkin King. If there are any objections, speak now." A few people looked around, obviously bewildered. Sally watched the phantom in horror. He had said Jack was dead…but of course he was…but the way he had said it…

A ghoul stepped forward uncertainly.

"Now hold on you…you have no right to just waltz…" He burst into flame.

"What you are witnessing gentleman, is a display of burning, with the flames of an ash tree ( In the Nether world Ash trees were precisely what they sounded like.) uprooted from the Netherworld itself. Does anyone want to witness this phenomena for themselves." Everyone was quiet.

"Excellent." Murdock said, his lips curling into a hideous grin.

Once again I apologize for my updates being so slow lately. I've been busy. Still, schools about over and as I've said before, Ill get plenty of time to finish all of my stories over the summer. I'll update as soon as possible. Thank you for your reviews.


	9. Thing's get Worse

Chapter Eight:

Things Get Worse

Sally closed the door of her and Jacks house behind her as she ducked inside. For a moment she stood there in hesitance. Then she crept into the kitchen and looked outside of a crooked window. She could just barely see the residents of Halloween Town standing around the fountain miserably as they watched their new Pumpkin King, who was laying down a lot of new rules that he expected them to follow.

"This is awful." She said quietly to herself. She sat down in a chair near the window and while leaning back, placed her hands in her lap.

"Jack can't be dead…well…he is…but he can't be gone…" She pressed her lips together.

"I'll have to find out. He'd be at the Doctors house." She whispered into the empty room. She leaned forward in the chair and looked out the window again. She nodded boldly. She'd go as soon as the residents cleared out of the square.

Murdock grinned broadly as he stepped onto a wooded platform with a noose on it. His eyes were wide and lined with hideous bulging veins. He stared at his audience wildly as his irises floated in a mist of reddish orange color. His hat lay off to one side. Many of the residents wished that he would pick it up and put it back on. They liked ugliness and horror as much as anyone, but there was something about Murdock's eyes that felt…almost…controlling.

"Well well well…it has been a while. Halloween Town…mine again." He chuckled. "How marvelous!" His eyes swept across the crowd.

"Well…now would be a good time to lay down my…laws. Firstly…Halloween will be approached at a whole new angle…from now on." He stepped off the platform.

"I believe we've been too…nice…for far too long. This year…we wont strike fear into the hearts of men and women and children…of course. We'll _terrify_ them! We'll scare them to _death_! I think it's time we get a bit more…hands on."

"You mean…hurt people?" The werewolf asked from the corner of the wooden platform. Some of the slower residents looked at him and then up at Murdock in horror.

Murdock grinned.

"Well, if you put it that way it sounds awfully…cruel doesn't it? Still…hurt…such a bland word. We should spice that up a bit…" He paused for a moment. "Wound…skive, eradicate, slaughter…torture…what do you think…sound like fun?" The people stared up at him for a moment.

"But Jack…Jack would have never…"

"Jack isn't here!" Murdock interrupted. "I'm here. You'll listen to me from now on!" He sat down at the base of the wooden platform and rested his arm on his knee.

"Now…as I was saying…"

A small figure pulled away from the group, managing to not be seen by ducking behind the fountain and sneaking away from the town square along the fence. Murdock's words faded as the figure reached Jack's house. Shock yanked off a cloak she had nabbed off one of the smaller Reapers and peeled off one of the many masks the mayor had hung along the fence. (It had actually made an improvement to the clustered display.) She put her own mask and witches hat back on and headed towards the graveyard. As she did, she occasionally checked to make sure the walking freak show that was their new Pumpkin King had not seen her.

"Jack's dead?" Shock said quietly to herself. Normally such news would not have disappointed her. Jack wasn't bad, compared to Oogie Boogie that was, but with him gone, in normal circumstances, her, Lock and Barrel wouldn't have anyone to prevent them from doing whatever they wanted. However, with that maniac around, Jack being gone was just about the worst thing that could possibly happen.

When Shock reached the graveyard she leaned against a headstone and appeared to be in deep thought. This was interrupted when a white misty figure darted through her and dove into the earth beneath the grave. Shock stood back, a little annoyed. She peered curiously at the grave. It was typically shaped and very small. After pulling her mask a little ways off her face she leaned forward and examined the grave more fixedly. Carved into the stone was the word; ZERO. Shock sighed. The ghost dog emerged from the dirt beneath the grave again, barked happily at her and took off across the sky back towards town.

Shock leaned against the grave again.

"Well…he's taking this whole 'Jack's dead' thing awfully well." After a moment of consideration, Shock grinned. She straightened and slowly followed the retreating form of the misty ghost dog.

Zero darted about the ghoulish buildings happily, not bothering to slow down, even if there had been residents around he probably would have gone right through them. (Not that the people of Halloween Town weren't used to this.) He reached the doctors house and headed straight upwards toward the large window that Sally had once stared out of so frequently that she could see the scenery spread out perfectly when she closed her eyes.

The room was dark and miserable (Sally would have noted that nothing had changed.) A tall figure sat in the corner, resting his head on one long bony hand. He raised his head a little when the ghost dog came through the wall and approached him, lighting the scenery a little with his pumpkin shaped nose.

Jack smiled a little.

"Hello Zero." Jack said, while outstretching his bony hand and petting the small ghost dog. He pulled his hand away and went back to cradling his head in his hand. His faint smile faded and he stared narrowly at the wall opposite of him. The dog peered at him enquiringly. Zero's spirit faded a little in light of his masters mood.

After a long moment of silent Jack growled in frustration and stood up (A little shakily.) He walked unsteadily towards the window and leaned against it. The town, HIS town stretched out beyond the window like a twisted nightmare. He banged his skull lightly against the glass.

"What am I going to do, Zero?" He whined desperately. "Ever since he hit me with that…thing…I can't even _think_ straight! How am I suppose to stop him!" Jack drew his skeleton hand into a fist. For a moment he looked himself. His eyes were narrowed, his teeth looked almost jagged against the pale light, he looked like the Pumpkin King. Then, his shoulders sagged and his face filled with an overwhelming weariness. He sat on Sally's old bed and stared out towards his tower. The light was on.

Jack frowned and looked away. Every time he caught a glimpse of his tower he was filled with a devastating amount of guilt. It was not, as it should have been, because he felt he was betraying his duties as Pumpkin King. (Although that haunted him from time to time as well.) But because he felt he was betraying his duties as a friend. He was betraying Sally. (Of course being in her old room didn't help matters much.) Everything in it reminded him of her. He had considered switching rooms but decided against it. He felt comfortable in the room that had once belonged to his beloved.

Besides, the doctor rarely came in here and he needed as much privacy as he could possibly get to think about what he would do about Murdock Manifesto. He sighed and leaned back. Zero was in the corner dodging happily about Sally's old sewing machine. Something about the machine appealed to the part of Jack that was still alert. (And still Jack Skellington.) He would have explored this further if sleep had not taken him at that time.

Lock angrily threw a piece of his new outfit to the floor of his, Shock's and Barrels room. After going through Oogie Boogie's torturing game room (Which Murdock had been kind enough to turn full force.) his clothes were badly damaged…not that he was particularly upset about the ugly outfit being completely ruined, but the chamber itself had been annoyingly uncomfortable.

Barrel was sitting in the corner of the room. He didn't look much better then the older boy, but had been lucky enough to get away faster, considering that he had not been chained to a giant saw.

"That's it! I don't care what that freak does to me. I'm getting out of here. He's worse then Jack and Oogie Boogie combined!" Lock yelled angrily. He kicked the nearest thing his foot could come in contact with. (Which so happened to be Barrel.)

"Hey! Ow!"

"Shut up, Barrel!" Lock said absently. Barrel glared after the older boy as he fished his old costume out of a nearby trunk.

"I should have left you on the giant saw." Barrel said in a low voice. Lock either didn't hear him, or chose to ignore him.

"Get back into your skeleton costume. We're going to go find Shock."

"But what about Murdock?" Barrel asked as he stood up. He felt uncomfortable about running away from someone who could probably do just about anything he wanted with them.

"We're going to take our chances with him!" Lock yelled back at the smaller boy. Barrel frowned, but decided against saying anything further. Even when Lock was in a good mood he enjoyed abusing Barrel and the younger boy decided that he didn't really need any further abuse after going through the Boogie mans game room. He pulled his costume out of the depths of the crate and replaced his old grinning skeleton mask.

While she had been waiting, Sally had crept up to the tower so that there was no chance of being seen before the people of Halloween Town cleared out of the square. She had occasionally gone to the window to see if there was any break in the level of emptiness the town was inducing during Murdock's speech. It had appeared to be a long one because she was frequently disappointed.

She had dozed off for a little while, then, upon waking had found that the sun was setting and the light in the tower was becoming more noticeable. She stood and turned it off, hoping that no one had noticed it. Then she had looked outside of Jacks giant cathedral style windows for a sign of the meeting coming to an end.

She was aware of a few residents walking around beneath the window. This satisfied her. As she walked towards the trap door shadows fell across her. Her tiny stitched fingers had just touched the handle when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement. Sally froze and bit her lip. Then, even before the figure spoke, Sally closed her eyes in agonized failure.

She felt leathery fingers close over her chin and turn her head roughly so that her eyes met two glowing red orbs that hung in the darkness.

"My dear, did you think that I did not see you sneak away?" Murdock was leaning in the darkness, grinning with his horribly sneering mouth. He removed his hand from her chin and stood up.

"Up, my dear, so that I might have a look at you." Sally didn't move. She cursed herself softly. She should have gone straight to the doctors house. She shouldn't have waited so long!

"I said up!" Murdock grabbed Sally's blood red hair and yanked her to her feet. Sally whimpered and was forced to once again look into the hideous eyes of the loathful phantom. He grinned.

"Not bad…not bad. Do you come with the profession?" Sally made a sound of rage and disgust and pushed him away. She tried to get as far away from him as possible but stumbled over her often clumsy legs and crashed to the ground. Murdock replaced his hat and leaned over her.

"Jack isn't coming for you. You better get used to me darling. Because your mine now. Ever since I saw you in old Jacky's arms I thought that with a change of clothes…maybe something in purple…" He grabbed her hair again. "Put this mess of hair up!" He yanked her into a sitting position. "You wouldn't be half bad…" Sally pulled her hair out of his hand and tried to hit him away from her. He caught her wrist and laughed.

"Ahhh, my dear, what fun we shall have." He pulled her to her feet again. And suddenly, as though it were some sort of glitch in his appearance his smile faded and turned into an ugly and horrible scowl. "We'll just have to work on your ATTITUDE!" He grabbed a rope which had been offering some decoration as a noose and began to tie it around her wrists.

"Now, if you'll assist me, Sally, wasn't it? I must check on my idiot henchmen. Surely by now they have figured away out of the torture chamber and are likely planning some sort of escape." After he was done bounding her wrists he grabbed the other end of the rope and yanked her towards the trap door.

"After I'm done punishing them for their attempt of treason…we shall see what to do with your appearance." He pulled open the trap door and while dragging sally behind him, disappeared into the darkness.

Alright, now, I have a question to anyone who is planning to review this; did I make Murdock obnoxious enough? Or does he need to be worse? I don't want to put Sally through too much in this story, but I'm kind of trying to create a character that makes her feel a loathing that's the exact opposite of what she feels for Jack. Just wondering. I'm sorry that it's taken so long to update on this story. I'm even more sorry that it's taken so long to update on Special Keys For Special Doors. I'm really trying to finish Pumpkin Town. Plus, I'm kind of working on getting my drivers license right now, so I'm a little busy. Still, I plan on updating as much as possible and I do plan on finishing all these stories this summer. Thanx for the reviews! I hope you enjoy the chapter.


	10. Jack's Visitor

Chapter Nine:

Jack's Visitor

The Grim Reaper leaned on the edge of an odd sort of vehicle which appeared to be a cross between a black Cadillac, a monster truck, and a casket. His bony arms were crossed and if he would have been capable of doing so, he would have been scowling. The Head Of The Board Of Beyond was sitting a ways away, peering at him anxiously. It was a good idea to stay away from the Reaper when he was in a bad mood unless you were particularly fond of losing your head…not fatal in these parts…but quite annoying none the less.

Two large zombies were examining the truck quizzically, because they were zombies it was taking them a while. (Zombies aren't known for their intelligence.)

"You've been searching the truck for six hours now!" The Reaper finally snapped. Both of the decaying guards jumped and spun around to face him.

"We're looking for prisoner #13, sir."

"I know! And I can save you another six hours by letting you know that HE ISN'T THERE! HE WASN'T THERE FIVE HOURS AGO, HE WASN'T THERE TWO HOURS AGO! AND HE IS NOT THERE NOW!" The reaper slammed the casket shaped doors shut, closing both zombies in as he did. He grabbed his scythe and trudged towards the Head Of The Board in an irate fashion.

"Sir, it's important not to get worked up…we'll find him, I'm sure."

"Shut up, Arthur!" The Reaper said under his breath as he passed by. "I've no doubt he's already caused enough trouble in the time it's taken to get all of the papers sorted and to find the forms I wrote to prove that my instructions were not followed, not to mention…" He motioned towards the prison truck. "The six hours wasted looking for a phantom in a truck, when twelve other witnesses said they saw him vanish!"

The Head of the Board swallowed.

"What sort of um…trouble do you think he could cause?"

"Do you remember that incident a couple hundred years ago when that Dracula guy was causing panic in the mortal world? And all of us were extremely stressed out because we could not figure out how to kill him."

"Er…Dracula's still ali-…er…at large…isn't he?"

"Not where it counts, Arthur. Do you remember?"

"Yes."

"Well…"

"Well what?"

"Murdock was my apprentice! He has…instruments that would…be damaging to the mortal world…should he find a way to venture into it."

"I see…" He looked down thoughtfully for a moment. The Reaper's eye sockets narrowed.

"You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

"No sir."

The Grim Reaper Sighed in frustration and headed towards the gates of Limbo.

"Where are you going sir?"

"I need to contact everyone within the area. I'm going to find that madman if it kills me!" He thought on this for a moment. "Metaphorically of course."

Shock stared up at the large, steel, circular structure with an odd look on her face. She rarely ventured into this part of town…unless it was for some sort of prank or something. She cast a quick look behind her, then, when there didn't appear to be anyone around, grabbed the heavy door knocker and heaved it against the ancient door.

There was a moment after her knocking ceased, where she could still hear it echoing on the inside. When that subsided the door opened a crack and someone looked out, still hidden in the shadows of the inner room.

"Who dat?"

Shock raised her brow and leaned forward.

"Shock. I want to see Jack…if your hiding him in there."

There was a long pause from inside. After a moment the person on the other side of the door spoke again.

"The mather thed not to let anyone in…under any thircumthantheth…" (His voice was muffled by the door, so the actually sentence sounded more like this; Them mmmther thed nowt tow lewt anyome in…undewr amy thircummmtheth.) Shock's brow crinkled and she stared at the door in annoyance for a moment, then, when whatever she was searching for in her mind did not seem to come to her, her eyes narrowed.

"What?"

There was some shuffling in the shadows of the doorway, then there was a creaking sound as the door was gripped from inside.

"Go away!" The door slammed shut. Shock jumped, then, after the echo of the slammed door subsided from inside, she glared at the wooden obstruction with something like contempt. She gripped the knocker again and slammed it on the door several times until it opened a crack again.

"You were told to go away!" It was the voice of the doctor.

"Let me in or I'll go find Murdock on my own and let him know where you are!"

"You wouldn't do that! He'd get you too!" The doctor said. However, there was some hesitation in his voice. Shock slammed her hand against the door.

"Clearly…" She yelled as she did. "…You do not know me very well!" There was a long period of silence, in which one could almost hear the doctors half brain churning.

"Very well." He said, finally. The door opened all the way. "But get inside before anyone sees you!" Shock stepped inside, vaguely aware that she had never been within the doctor's abode.

"What do you want?"

"I want to see Jack." The doctor frowned.

"What makes you think he's here." The doctor shooed Igor away with one of his gloved hands.

"I followed his ghost dog here." Shock said bitterly. The doctor's eyes narrowed.

"Stupid mutt. Anyone could have followed him." The doctors lip twitched a little as he said this. Shock ignored him. She had started to make her way to the stairs.

"Hey! Where do you think your going!" The doctor yelled after her.

"I told you, I'm finding Jack. If you wont tell me where he is. I'll find him myself."

"You can't just…!" She had already disappeared up the stairs before he was able to finish.

Sally was nudging the stitches on her ankle with her right toe, hoping that they would come loose. She had wanted to get one of her hands loose, so that she might be able to free her arms and get away, but when both of her wrists were tied and Murdock was dragging her along after him, forcing her to keep up at a bit of a run (Which she did not do well with her rag doll legs.) she had settled for freeing one of her feet and hopefully being able to kick his ankle a couple of times. They stopped abruptly, putting Sally's attempt on hold as she ran into the phantom from behind.

Sally made a sound of disgust and tried to back away from him, but wasn't able to when the loathsome specter grabbed her around the waist and pulled her up beside him.

"Well, we're home darling." His grin widened as she struggled to get away from him. He grabbed the rope again and began yanking her towards the giant tree house. Sally whimpered, but was none the less glad that he wasn't touching her anymore.

The only time Sally had ever been in the tree house was during the Christmas incident, when she had gone to rescue Santa Clause. Even then, she had only been in the Torture Chamber, and had therefore, never laid eyes on any other part of the giant lair. She pressed her lips together. She hadn't been missing anything.

Oogie Boogie's lair made the doctors house look cheerful and homey. Sally swallowed. Of course, her current attitude was partially due to the unfortunate situation she was finding herself in.

Murdock led her up a set of precariously perched stairs and shoved her into an empty room. He followed her in and shoved her onto a chair which sat beside a window (If one could call it that…it was more of…a conveniently placed hole in the wall.) While holding her down he used the rope he had pulled her there with to bind her to the chair, and after some careful observation, found a chain in the corner that he bound her legs together with.

"Another rope would work better my dear, but I'm afraid I've had them all burned. Not fond of ropes myself. You see, you tend to lose interest in certain…" He made a gesture with his hand. "…forms of entertainment, when they were used as a part of your demise. Pardon me now, I believe I have some children to punish for trying to sneak away. High pitched screams don't bother you do they? What am I saying, of course they don't…" He leaned towards her. "…your Jacky's sweetheart." He stood up and exited the room, making sure to close and bolt the door behind him. Once the door was shut, Sally began to struggle with her binds. After a few minutes of fruitless struggling, she gave up.

She lowered her head and stared fixedly at the floor. Her eyes clouded over as tears began to gather in them. She didn't think things could possibly get any worse.

Lock stared around a dark corner, his eyes darting from side to side as he watched the shadows for movement. He turned to Barrel and made a gesture telling him to hurry up. Barrel was walking hesitantly behind him. When he reached the older boy he looked over his shoulder uncomfortably and eyed the suspicious shadows that swallowed the tunnel way.

"Alright, let's go…" Lock whispered. Barrel jumped at the sound of his voice, then, a little embarrassed, followed him.

When they reached the end of the hallway Lock stopped again to look around. Barrel almost ran into him, then took a few steps back and turned to watch the other side. Lock nodded.

"Alright, I think it's clear."

"Do you? Well, I'd re-consider that…" The deep and melodic voice came from their right. Both boys turned towards it quickly. Murdock was grinning, his blood red eyes shining in the deep shadows.

"Evening, boys." Both boys took a step backwards.

"We were just…uh…"

"We were…um…"

Murdock chuckled chillingly, cutting off the boys attempt at an excuse.

"Although I'm sure your explanation would be quite…interesting…I don't believe that I have time for it. After all, I am the Pumpkin King." Lock and Barrel exchanged a look of horror. Murdock's grin widened, as he was pleased by this reaction. He bent over the two boys, his eye's turning a yellowish orange color.

"Now, I have a job for you. I have a great deal of work to do. You will go down to the empty room closest to the torture chamber and untie my lovely new play thing. Burn the ropes around her wrists, like the others, and lead her down into the game room. If she gets away, remove her legs and drag her down there. Chain her to one of the various game pieces and come find me." He brushed off his hat, shaking a spider onto the floor as he did and put it back on his head. Lock and Barrel sighed in relief when his eyes were no longer visible.

"I'd put haste on that boys. I have spared you for now, but make another mistake and I might reconsider this…friendly arrangement we have." He tipped his hat and spun around.

"Oh…" He said softly, before he took off down the hallway. "By the way…" He turned his head, his grin no longer visible as his mangled lips were pulled back in a glower. His hand, now mostly claw like grabbed Lock by the collar and lifted him off of the ground. "Even try to lie to me again, and I will send your soul to a place so desolate that not even the Reaper himself shall be able to retrieve it." He slammed the boy against the wall, and then, after straightening his sleeve, smiled pleasantly.

"Always a pleasure, boys." He spun on his heel and walked gracefully down the hall.

Lock struggled to his feet and stared after the man in loathsome fear.

"We have to get out of here. He's absolutely nuts!" Lock straightened his shirt and swallowed. "And not in a good way."

There was a creaking noise from out in the hallway and then the sound of the door swinging open slowly. Jack opened his eye socket a little and peered towards the door warily.

"Who is that?" He asked cautiously. He heard a snickering sound from the other side of the door and relaxed a little.

"I had a feeling you were still alive…"

Shock said as she entered the room.

Hurray, another chapter complete. Thank you very much for your reviews, I enjoy it when my readers hate my villain…it shows me that I am doing something right. (Although I can honestly say that I like Murdock much more then Jeff King in Pumpkin Town. I created that guy and he drives me crazy.) I hope you enjoy this chapter. I may do another one on this story, but I will most likely try to move on to one of my others for a bit.

Also, thank you very much Megan W. for all of your suggestions (And the rest of you, as well.) I do not mind making this character even more loathsome, and because I have already planned out exactly how this story will turn out, I can make things as hopeless as I so desire without having to worry about writing myself into a corner. Updates soon!


	11. An Unfortunate Proposal

Chapter Ten:

An Unfortunate Proposal.

Jack stared at the doorway wearily.

"Shock…I'm really not in the mood for visitors. Unless it's something important, I would suggest that you leave me alone." A shadow fell across Shock's face.

"Well, I hate to say so, Jack…but you really don't have the authority to suggest anything anymore." Jack watched her for a moment as she approached him. His eyes narrowed in concentration for a moment, then widened.

"He's taken over…"

"Earlier today, and with Jack Skellington dead, he really didn't have much trouble doing it…you know, I always wondered what it would be like having a mischievous madman in charge of this place. It has turned out as such a disappointment."

"Wonderful…" Jack said bitterly. "I thought I had more time to think of something." Shock's eyes widened.

"You mean you haven't yet!" She said, a little concern ebbing into her voice. "I thought that this whole dead thing was partly your doing. I didn't see any other reason for Jack Skellington to run away and hide in some dark bedroom." Jack's eyes narrowed.

"I'm not hiding. I came here to get some privacy and to prevent this decay for as long as I could. Unfortunately I am getting more and more tired everyday, and my mind has gotten so fuzzy that I cannot think straight at all." He touched his forehead morosely and waved her off.

"You being here is not helping things much." Shock scowled and grabbed Jack by the collar. Jack was completely taken off guard by this, because before, no one would have dreamed of doing it to him.

"No! You being here is not helping things much! I could not possibly be at a better place!" Jack watched her in speechless surprise. She let go of his collar and crossed her arms.

"Now if you don't do something quick, Murdock will find all of us and then the only people left will be those idiots he has wrapped around his finger at the moment. Don't get me wrong, having you as The Pumpkin King gets in the way of everything that I find entertaining. But at least with you wearing the crown, I don't have to worry about dying…again. That's an experience you'd really like to go through only once." Jack straightened and for a moment and they were both silent.

"Your right." Jack said after a moment. Shock raised her brow. "But I don't know what to do!" He added in frustration. "For the first time, I don't have the answer!"

"Well you can't sit in a dark bedroom and expect it to come to you! Jeez, Why are boys so dumb!"

Jack gave her a quizzical look.

"What else could I possibly do. I can't face him as I am now…that wouldn't do any good."

Shock scowled and shrugged.

"What are you asking me for? You're the Pumpkin King…or…were anyway. You think of something! I'd hurry up too, he's holding a town meeting tomorrow morning. Pretty soon the whole town will be with him. Brainless morons." She added the last bit under her breath. Jack sighed and buried his head in his long skeletal fingers. After a moment he looked up again quickly. His eye sockets, now wide, as though something had just come to him.

"Tomorrow morning?" Jack asked softly. Shock rose her brow and nodded.

"Yeah…that's what I said." He straightened and peered out the window.

"How did you hear about all this?" He asked while examining his tower. In a place deep in his mind he noted that the light had been turned off.

"I was in the square listening." Shock said, getting a little aggravated with Jack's sudden change of behavior. Finally, he tore his eyes from the desolate cathedral style windows on his crooked abode and returned his gaze to the small trick or treater.

"Murdock didn't see you?" He asked curiously.

"No…I was wearing a different costume." She said slowly. Jack grinned. It didn't have near as much power as his old grin had had, but it made a great improvement to his otherwise dreary countenance.

"Does Murdock believe that I am dead?" He asked, as he stood up and crossed the room. Shock followed him with her eyes.

"I guess…that's what he told everyone else, anyway."

"Perhaps I can use this." Jack said, mostly to himself. He turned on his heel and left Sally's bedroom. Shock shook her head.

"Poor Jack has lost his mind." She grinned with delight and followed him.

Sally sat in the shadows, gazing longingly at the distant shape of her and Jack's Tower. She whimpered a little. Jack. Because of the hateful phantom she was unable to see if he was still alright. She would have given anything to be with him at that moment.

The door opened a crack and she heard harsh whispering. She turned her head towards the sound and bit her lip, preparing herself for whatever Murdock had planned for her. The door opened all the way as Lock and Barrel headed into the tiny dark room. They were both wearing purple again, and did not look happy about it. When they saw her they stopped and exchanged a look.

"Hey, your that rag doll that's shacked up with Jack!" Lock exclaimed in slight disbelief. Barrel frowned.

"You don't er…know what's happened to him do you? I mean…is he really…uh…dead?"

Sally stared at them for a moment with wide eyes then shook her head.

"I don't know. I haven't seen him." She said softly. Both boys sighed in aggravation and stepped forward to untie her.

"Murdock wants you downstairs in the game room." Lock said bitterly. "Barrel, you burn the ropes." Barrel nodded as he took the ropes that had been around her wrists.

"What's he going to do to me?" Sally asked nervously. Lock shrugged.

"How should I know." He pulled out two metal clasps that slightly resembled handcuffs and put them on her wrist.

Sally bit her lip and cast one last look out the window before she was led into the shadows of the dark tunnels that led toward the game room. A place which she would have rather not have to visit again. The last time she had been there, it had been to rescue Santa Clause. An action which had almost landed her in a stew. But then Jack had come, and everything had been alright. She didn't think anyone was going to save her this time.

The doctor had been working on an experiment that would send a persons brain oozing through their ears. (Some of the residents would not be too much different without them.) When Jack burst in. The doctor spun around in his chair and stared at the disheveled skeleton. He made a mental note to up the dosage on the elixir he had been giving him.

"Can I help you Jack?"

"I need you to sew me a cloak. Preferably purple. Something to rap my hands in and I need a mask. If you would be so kind as to send someone to the fence. I'm sure the mayor has plenty of them hanging in the open."

The doctor rose his brow.

"Umm…" He started. He cast a brief look at Shock who whirled her finger around her temple to signify that Jack was crazy. "What are you planning Jack?" The doctor asked carefully.

"I'm going to the town meeting tomorrow night." He said while straightening out his shirt.

"That's a bit risky don't you think?" The doctor said. He was still talking to Jack in a careful voice that the previous Pumpkin King did not care much for.

"It's important that I find out exactly what's going on before I make a decision about what to do." The doctor nodded.

"Alright." He started to shuffle through various materials he kept in the basement, before pulling out a bit of purple material. He scowled.

"Why purple?" The doctor said distastefully.

"It's his favorite color. If I know him, he'll be forcing everyone to wear it before long. I don't want to stand out." Jack said.

Shock noticed that he then half collapsed in a chair out of exhaustion. She frowned. They were all in a lot of trouble.

At around the same time that the doctor began working on sewing together a purple cloak, Sally was finding herself chained up to a large saw. She awaited Murdock's arrival with a growing dread. She closed her eyes and wished deeply, that she was not there. Through her wishing she felt a leathery finger wonder across her tiny hand. She shivered.

"My dear. It's so nice that we've been given the chance to spend…some quality time together." Murdock whispered. When Sally opened her eyes Murdock's face was a little over an inch from her own. She held back a sound of disgust. He grinned, baring his horribly white teeth.

"Your mine." He said softly. He ran his long rubbery fingers through her hair. She jerked away from his touch and glared at him in loathing.

"Never! You'll be sorry when…" Her sentence was cut off by his laughter.

"I'll be sorry when what? When Jacky comes to get me." He shivered mockingly. "Jack's a pile of dust somewhere. He can't do anything to help you. Sorry Sweetheart but Jack Skellington's gone. He can't stop me from taking over his town, turning Halloween into something that the people from the living world will remember for days to come and he can't stop me from doing this." He leaned forward and kissed her roughly on the mouth. Sally made a gagging sound and tried to turn her head. Murdock grinned with pleasure.

He unchained her and grabbed her by the wrist, holding it with almost immense pressure. Sally whined and tried to pull away from him. She was struck with inspiration as she realized both of her hands were now free. She pulled on the stitches of her left hand and disconnected it.

Murdock let out a cry of rage as she tried to get away from him. She didn't get very far. He grabbed her by her long red hair and pulled her back down to the ground.

"Nice try sweetheart!" He said through his teeth. "but if that's how your going to be then I'll just have to give you what you want." He wrenched her right arm off of her shoulder, ripping it a little and pulled her to her feet by her hair.

"I see now how closely I'll have to watch you." He pushed her toward the table that Oogie Boogie had once strapped her and Santa Clause to. As he held her down he grabbed the leather straps and bounded her to the table by her legs and waist. He smiled and straightened out his sleeves.

"There we are. Now. I think I'll keep you down here for a bit…to, you know, think about how bad you've been." He started to walk away then, appearing to remember something he turned back to her.

"Oh yes, that reminds me. Tomorrow morning, we are to be wed. As soon as I decide that you are ready to go back to your room, you will change into the dress I have for you up there and then we shall see what to do about your hair." He grinned and headed back up to the tunnels. Sally watched him go in horror. She started to sob.

"Where are you Jack?" She said softly to herself.

Once again, sorry for the delay. I've been a little busy lately (I got my drivers license! MWAHAHAHAHA!)

Ahh…I should probably move on to another story now, for a little while anyway. This ones actually nearing some sort of climax. Not there yet though. I hope you enjoyed the chapter…I can honestly say that I did not know that Sally was getting married until the end of this chapter…it's remarkable how stories sometimes almost write themselves. (Don't worry, things will work out.) Lucky for you I despise writing stories with any sort of depressing ending, so you can generally count on my stories to end on a positive note. Thank you for your reviews. I am very grateful for your suggestions and comments. Updates soon!


	12. A Nightmarish Wedding

Chapter Eleven:

A Nightmarish Wedding.

Sally was standing at the window, gazing into the darkness as the gloominess of her new bedroom stretched out behind her. She bit her lip and ran her stitched fingers over the cloth of her dress. It was extremely uncomfortable. She was used to the familiar stitching of her old raggedy dress that the doctor had made her. This felt…wrong somehow.

She turned and scowled as her gaze fell on a morbid full length mirror. In the foggy glass she touched the sleeve of her dress bitterly. It was a deep purple and nearly reached her ankles. It was also very tight and was made of an odd and rough fabric. She hated it. She hated her hair even more. Her long red hair was tied up in a loose bun. A black veil lay forlornly on her bed. She was not going to put it on. She felt tears welling up in her eyes as she set the dark veil aside and lowered herself onto the mattress.

She touched her hair and with a gentle pull the black and purple ribbons fell away and her long red locks fell down her back. Her eyes fell to the floor as she felt something tug at her heart. She gazed sideways at the veil. She had no idea how to get out of this. But she knew she had to somehow. The only man (er…ghoul…skeleton…anything.) she'd ever marry was Jack. If Jack was gone…then she would be with no one.

Sally laid back, deciding that she should probably get some sleep. Maybe, something would come to her in the night. She closed her eyes and allowed herself a brief escape from the cruel situation she was currently in. As she did, she fell almost immediately into a dream.

_Faintly, she could hear a song playing as the pumpkin sun rose. It sounded somewhat like the wedding march. She felt a sinking feeling, that, in normal circumstances would not have been the usual reaction to the slow and joyous melody. She opened her eyes and, for a moment, did not know where she was. It was certainly not the Tree house. Her eyes fell on the familiar cathedral style windows and suddenly, she felt relief flood into her. It had all been a naught but a nightmare. _

_"Sally." Jacks voice filled the room. Sally felt her heart leap into her throat. She sat up and smiled at him as he closed the trap door and made his way over to her. He offered her his hand. _

_"Ready, my dear?" Sally gave him her tiny hand and allowed him to envelope it in his large skeletal fingers. He pulled her gently to her feet. _

_"Ready?" She asked softly. Jack grinned broadly and rose her hand a little. He reached into his coat and pulled from it something that shimmered slightly in the dim light. He placed it on her finger and then leaned over to kiss her. Sally welcomed it but shivered when he parted from her. Something wasn't right. _

_"Nonsense, my dear. Come." Jack said as he gently led her down the stairs of their tower. As he went he pulled some black roses from a vase they passed. "Here you are." He said with a grin. Sally took them hesitantly. _

_She looked down at her dress. It was the purple one that she had been wearing when… (She had fallen asleep) _

_"This is a dream." Sally said forlornly. Jack gave her an odd look and kept walking. His fingers felt leathery and rough. Suddenly she wanted desperately to pull away from him. _

_"Jack…where are we going?" She asked, her voice shaking a little. _

_"To The Town Square, my dear. To be married, remember?" Sally shook her head to herself. _

_"No…" She said softly. "I don't, when did you propose?" She felt a growing terror welling up inside of her._

_"On Halloween, my dear…of course." Sally watched the scenery change as they neared the square. It was covered in all sorts of decorations. Jack let her hand go…a thing which she found to be a great relief. _

_"Alright, start the music." Jack said happily. He walked to the altar and spun around to face her. _

_"Walk, Sally." He said softly. Sally looked around at all of the usually dark faces of the Halloween residents. She rose the Black roses to her chest and slowly walked towards Jack. Something was tugging at the back of her mind, trying to bring something to her attention…something important. She couldn't grasp it. Before she knew it she was beside Jack. _

_Beside them a figure in a bright purple suit started reciting the wedding vows. (Being sure to leave out such things like, "In sickness and in health" and "Till death do us part.") _

_"Do you, The Pumpkin King, take this ragdoll to be your wedded partner in death for all of eternity?" _

_"I do." Jack said softly. _

_"And do you…Sally, take this corpse to be your wedded partner in death for the rest of eternity." Sally swallowed and took a step back, releasing herself from Jack's hands. He looked at her in a surprised manner. _

_"Sally?" He asked nervously. He looked sideways at the ghoul who had been doing the ceremony. _

_"This doesn't feel right." Sally said softly. "Something's wrong. I can't marry you." She started to back up further but was taken by the arms by two of Halloween Towns residents and pushed forward again. Sally looked at the residents in horror then cast a look back at Jack, who's face was contorted into something like anger. He grabbed her roughly by the arm. _

_"Say I do darling! Or would you rather spend eternity in pieces?" Sally tried to pull away from him again. _

_"Your not Jack!" She said as his face became absolutely terrifying. _

_"What do you mean I'm not Jack? Do I not look like him?" Now his voice had become different as well. Sally struggled in his grasp. _

_"Say I do, Sally! Say it!" He yelled at her. Sally shook her head desperately. _

_"No…never. I won't marry you no matter what you look like!" She screamed at him. _

_Jack scowled and then his features started to melt away. The world seemed to melt away with him, Until Sally was standing in the exact same place, but was surrounded by a group of miserable looking towns people, instead of Happy ones and Jack had become Murdock, who was staring at her in rage. _

"You will marry me." He said. "You have no choice!"

Sally tried again to pull away from him, but could not.

"No. I hate you!"

"Harsh words, wouldn't you say? Especially after I even tried to give you your dream wedding…literally."

"That wasn't my dream wedding! You make a lousy Jack!" She screamed in the midst of her struggles. Murdock grinned and grabbed her by both of her arms.

"Funny, I would have thought I'd make a pretty good Jack, considering that everything that was essentially Jack Skellington is mine now. His town, his bride, his life…" He leaned over towards her and whispered into her ear. "His skill and soul. Everything. I know where he is, Sally. That's right, he's alive. But I don't worry about him because he is nothing now! But perhaps you do still. I could end him right now…if I wanted….unless…" He touched her bright red hair. "You say 'I do.'"

Sally stared up at the man in horror.

"You…took…Jack's…"

"Everything. I took everything from him that is worth anything. You see…it's almost as though your marrying Jack after all." He laughed wickedly.

A tear ran down Sally's cheek.

'No…' She thought to herself. 'It's not the same at all. You said you got everything from Jack that was worth anything…but I think you missed the most important thing.'

"I do." She said softly. "For Jack." Murdock's grin widened.

"Excellent."

"I pronounce you husband and wife…" One of the residents said glumly. "You may now kiss the bride."

Murdock leaned over quickly and kissed Sally before she had the chance to dodge it completely.

"You've made the right decision." He looked around the audience, Sally took time to notice that it was very small. "Well. Not everyone was here. We shall announce our marriage at tonight's town meeting. Allow for the whole town to participate in our new found…joy." He grinned.

"I have work to do. Lock, Barrel. Take her back to her room until this evening." The two boys exchanged a look and then rolled their eyes absently. They placed the chains around Sally's wrists again. This time she did not fight it, but stood still in anguished defeat. She allowed herself to be led away.

Unaware of all of this, the doctor looked at the bright purple cloak that he had sewn together. Satisfied as he pulled it from the sewing machine. He slowly wheeled out into the library where Jack had been sitting up and thinking for much of night.

"Jack I've finished, but you'll have to…" He stopped as he realized that his words were going unheard. The skeleton was fast asleep with a large book dangling from one of his bony hands. The doctor sighed and put the cloak on the chair beside him.

"I don't know how your going to pull this off Jack…and I doubt that you can stop him now. But I hope you can prove me wrong." He wheeled out of the library, leaving the previous Pumpkin King to his sleep.

He started to head back down to the lab when the eldest trick or treater barged into his front door and nearly scared him to death. (er…well…you know what I mean.) He glared at her.

"That door was locked! Several times, with several very sturdy locks! How did you get back in?" Shock shrugged.

"Didn't seem all that sturdy to me." She tossed a mask onto the kitchen table and placed, for some reason, a large stick beside it.

"What are those things?" The doctor asked bitterly.

"For the old bonehead. Where is he?"

"Asleep upstairs. Leave him alone!" The doctor warned. "I have experiments to work on. You will not touch anything!" He said sternly to the girl , who rose her brow and shrugged. He tossed her a suspicious look then wheeled down into his laboratory.

Shock waited until he was out of sight, then she grabbed the mask and stick and headed up the stairs. When she got to the library she kicked the door open and started to nudge Jack with the stick. He flinched then woke up, dropping the book as he did.

He sat up and yawned. Then cast an aggravated look towards the girl.

"Can I help you?" He asked bitterly.

"Your stuff is ready." She tossed him the mask and leaned the stick against his chair. Jack nodded towards it.

"What's that for?" He asked, while trying the mask on.

"Walking stick, what with the way you've been moving around, you'll probably need it." Jack sighed and grabbed the robe.

"Good point." He pulled the purple fabric over his head and looked down at his feet in satisfaction. It fit perfectly. He raised the hood and grabbed the walking stick.

"Excellent." Jack said softly. "Alright then, now all I need is something to cover my hands." He gazed thoughtfully at his bone fingers.

"Hmm…bandages I think. That would be believable." He headed towards the doorway. "I'm sure the doctor has plenty."

Shock shook her head before following behind him.

"There's no way this is gonna work, Jack." He paused and turned towards her.

"None the less, I must try…" Jack started. Before he got any further Shock shook her head.

"No, I mean your posture. Walking stick or not, your still taller then anyone else in town. Lean over or something." Jack gazed at the stick and tried to lean over as much as he could. He was dismayed to find that he could not do it as well as he had once been able to. Before, he had been quite flexible. Now he was only able to lean over enough so that he was a few feet shorter, and only when he was leaning on the stick for support.

"Eh…" Shock said briefly before heading down the stairs. Jack frowned and stood back up to his full height.

"It'll just have to do." He said to no one in particular. He followed Shock down the stairs, aware that the meeting to take place that evening was drawing ever nearer.

There we go. I actually have about half of the next Pumpkin Town chapter done as well. But I got stuck and then frustrated, so I started working on this story again. Because of my current place, I may continue to update on this story, but I should have the next Pumpkin Town chapter up soon.

To Megan W. : Glad you liked the picture. My email address is If you have non review messages for me, you are quite welcome to send them here (Although, I don't really mind them on the review page.) This is for anyone who wishes to have it, although, in order to have it, all you have to do is look for it on my profile page. Also, if any of you are interested, I would very much like to post more pictures on my website and would appreciate some fanart that you might have. If you wish to send some. Send it to the above address along with you name (Or nickname, or whatever.) so that I can give you credit for it. Or…you can just ignore this message and my email address. Your quite welcome to do this as well. 

Thank you very much for all of your reviews. They are my inspiration to write. Updates soon!


	13. The Mysterious Figure

Chapter Twelve:

The Mysterious Figure In The Bone White Mask

Jack cast a nervous glance towards the bat shaped clock in the corner of the room. As the night drew near he was becoming less and less confident about his plan. He sighed and began wrapping his skeletal fingers in thin bandages. The rest of his costume rested near the window under the fading light. Jack stood and crossed over towards it.

"Well…this is it." He said softly to himself.

As the pumpkin sun began to fade into the eerie Halloween Town night, many of the towns residents shuffled dismally towards the hulking shape of the Town Meeting Hall. A couple of them pinched at their new outfits with a cry of disgust. Some held hushed conversations, where they asked each other whether or not they thought Jack…their REAL pumpkin king had truly met his demise. Others just walked towards the hall quietly, lost in their own sorrowful stint of misery.

Sally watched them gather from the window of her room. She touched the hateful ring on her finger and bit her lip. She wished that she could take it off and throw it out the window…but he would notice. He noticed everything.

Behind her, the door creaked open.

"It's time, my dear." His musical voice drifted in. Sally closed her eyes and turned towards him. She kept her gaze on the floor. As he grew near, she felt chills of disgust run down her arms.

Vaguely she felt something being fastened around her neckline. A collar…She pressed her lips together. A tear ran down her left cheek. Murdock's face grew near hers and he pressed his always grinning teeth against her fragile neck. His hand wondered to her waist.

"What a thrill this night shall be." She felt icy breath on her cheek. She shuddered. He moved away from her, much to her own relief and tugged at the chain that was connected to the device he had fastened around her neck. She followed him sorrowfully, her eyes cast downward…and her mind drifting elsewhere.

Apparently, during the course of the day, Murdock had made a few changes to the town. Sally watched as the scenery passed by. Before, when she had lived with the doctor, she had never been particularly thrilled with all Halloween Town had to offer. It was depressing and sometimes, too gloomy for her, but after meeting Jack, she had understood a bit more about the holiday everyone in town were so obsessed with. She had found something about Halloween that she did love. He had taught her that Halloween was harmless fun. And despite it's less then intriguing appearance, the holiday was enjoyed more by mortals…rather then feared.

But Jack was not The Pumpkin King anymore. Murdock was. And Sally did not think that he was particularly fond of harmless fun. She didn't need to have any sort of vision to predict what sort of disaster that Halloween would result to that year.

'I wish Jack were here.' She thought to herself. She lowered her head further and wept on her way to the meeting hall.

The band that usually played in front of Jack's house stood like statues and watched as the town progressed to the Square. They had stopped playing a day before, when neither Jack, or Sally was in the tower. The largest of the group picked at his purple suit in aggravation.

"I wonder where Jack is." He said absently. The other members of the stiff group turned and looked at him. The tuba player shrugged.

"I heard a rumor that he was gone." He said in a nasally voice. From inside the base the bodiless head sighed.

"For all our sake, let's hope he's not." The group nodded.

Once again, they fell silent. After a moment, one of the taller corpses spoke up.

"Wanna play?" As a group they shrugged.

"What should we play?" One of them asked.

"Jack's favorite." The corpse holding the base said.

The eerie and beautiful music began to drift down the street. A couple people heading to The Town Square looked up from the ground, as if pulled out of some sort of bleak and horrible spell. They exchanged knowing glances.

_Jack's favorite. _

When the street began to clear out, a tall hunched over figure shuffled down the road, in a manner which would have made Sally look surefooted and sturdy. Held in a long bandaged hand was a large walking stick with skeletal carvings etched into the wood. His cloak dragged on the ground. When he passed the band, there was a flicker of gold. The band stopped and gazed as a coin fell to the bottom of their jar. The band watched as the figure faded into the thick fog that was slowly overrunning the street.

When Jack reached the Town square he straightened his mask a little, and scowled at the discomfort the whole charade was causing him. Along the lines of his perception he watched as shadowy figures made their way up the street. So far, they were paying him no mind. But as Shock had already said. Jack was dead…so they weren't exactly expecting him to be there.

He felt something knock against his ankle. Jack let out a startled cry and turned quickly. A very small Version of the Grim Reaper was standing beside him in a purple robe. The figure had bumped it's scythe purposefully against him to get his attention.

"Uhh…can I help you?" Jack asked uncomfortably.

"Well…" The figure said in a very familiar voice. "You can start by not sounding so much like you. Your not going to fool anyone if you go around using Jack Skellington's voice, dummy!"

"Shock!" Jack hissed at her. "Where did you get that outfit?"

"I stole it off of one of the Grim Reapers when he was sleeping. Come on, or we'll draw attention to ourselves."

Jack whispered furiously at her as he followed her into the meeting hall.

"What are you doing here? It was risky enough with just me!"

"I'm gonna find Lock and Barrel. They've had to have found something out about Murdock, what with having to spend so much time as his henchmen." Jack nodded.

"Fine…but be careful!" He said with warning in his voice.

"Me? You're the one who ISN'T HUNCHING or DISGUISING YOUR VOICE!" Jack hunched over quickly and glared at Shock from underneath his mask. He cast a brief look to his side and then slid carefully onto a fairly empty bench. The only other resident on it was a man who was oozing immensely. He cast a quick look towards Jack, then turned back towards the stage. Jack sighed and lowered his head. So far so good. Shock slid into the seat beside him and awaited Murdock's arrival.

The Town was peculiarly quiet, this silence was particularly out of character due to the fact that Halloween was getting near. The spotlight, usually operated by the mayor, sat coolly as the stage was bathed in darkness. Suddenly, several dark candles lit up on stage, the flames in the dark candle sticks shone a brilliant purple. A couple of the residents up front exchanged looks with those beside them.

From nowhere a shadow materialized in the center of the stage. The slender phantom stepped up to the podium and grinned upon his audience. His hat was off and his eyes were alight with hellish flame.

"Ah…how wonderful it is to see you all…" His pale fingers shuffled a deck of cards with a rapidity which made the cards seem almost transparent. "I have called this meeting to discuss two very important matters. The first…is the ever approaching All Hallows Eve. I have…a lot of…fresh idea's that you all might find quite…stimulating. The second…is the news on your…beloved Jack Skellington. I shall finally put your mind to rest…on this subject. I understand that there has been a lot of conversation on the matter."

Some of the resident's exchanged nervous looks.

In his seat, Jack hunched down further and absently pulled the hood of his cloak down as far as he could.

"But first. I have…some very…special…news." His grin widened and for a moment, it looked as though the stitches on his face would split and rip his flesh free. "I have taken a bride."

Some of the residents looked at each other uncomfortably. Romance was a thing that was rarely found in Halloween Town. There were a few whispers in the back of the room.

Shock noted some movement beside her. She looked up at Jack, who had shifted uncomfortably.

"We were married this morning and I would like to introduce her…of course…I imagine you've met." He walked to the back of the stage and grabbed at the chain that was lying on the floor.

"Come my dear." He said. After a moment, when no one came forward, Murdock grew impatient.

"I said come!" He pulled roughly on the chain. Sally stumbled into the faint candlelight and peered sadly into the crowd. She had never been very bold when it came to meeting people. Jack had been trying to make her more uncomfortable with the town, but now, standing in front of all of the resident's, in the arms of a madman of whom she loathed, she felt very alone and very awkward.

There was a crashing sound from the back of the room. Many of the resident's turned quickly to see what had made it, only to find that it appeared as though no one had moved. Murdock, like everyone else, had been one of the ones to look into the crowd.

"I would appreciate silence and respect from whom ever the clumsy fool was to knock over the candle in the corner. Remedy that in the future." His voice was low and dangerous. He peered into the shadows for a bit longer before his eye's moved slowly back to the front of the crowd. The rest of the town turned back around slowly, apparently losing interest in the ruckus.

Shock was holding Jack's cloak down in a death grip that, had she been alive, would have probably rendered her hand with numbness after a few seconds. Jack was shaking with rage and had not yet regained his composure. When the attention was off of them Shock leaned towards him.

"Settle down, Bonehead, before ya give us both away!" Jack seemed to cool down a bit as the realization of where he was set in. When Shock decided that he had completely regained his self control, she let go of his cloak. Jack glared up at the stage, his bone fingers tightening around the wooden staff with a near splintering capacity.

Sally was staring at the ground. Her hands were folded . Her tiny fingers ran over the stitching and the small ring, sitting like a shackle on her finger. It made her think of imprisonment. Beside her, Murdock spoke up to the crowd.

"Before I tell you of my new plans for this years…celebration. I would like to address the issue of Jack. Your previous Pumpkin King." He looked at the crowd with pleasure as an array of whispered conversations began. Sally looked away from them miserably.

Murdock nodded at Lock and Barrel, who had been standing off to the side of the stage.

"Take her to a seat." He said, while handing the chain to Lock. He mumbled something under his breath and led Sally down the steps of the platform and into the audience. She was taken to a seat three rows back from the front. Lock and Barrel sat down beside her.

"Now…I feel I must put this issue to rest." Murdock began. His eye's flashed a brilliant plum color. Some of the residents looked away hurriedly. " I am your new Pumpkin King. Jack is not coming to save you. He is gone! Reduced to naught but dust!" His thin fingers curled into a fist. The crowd looked around in horror.

"How…how did this happen." One of the people in the back said.

"I've taken his soul…his talent…his very being. I am everything that Jack Skellington was…and more!" He paused for a moment to let this information sink in.

"Can…can you do that to us?" One of the witches asked, fearfully.

"Ah!" Murdock stood to his full height. He wore a pleased look. "This question brings me to my next issue. Perhaps it's time you…ghouls…learned about the Law Of Anarchic Demise." He spun around with a flourish that was so Jack like that it brought a stab of pain to Sally's fabricated heart.

Murdock pulled on a rope and grinned broadly as the curtain rose. An ancient book sat on a stand, gathering sheets of dust.

"This is the book issued to all those who follow the Law Of Anarchic Demise. There were five of us in the old days, here in town. As it is…there are now only three…well…that is."

"Who are they?" Asked a squeaky voice from deep in the crowd. Murdock's smile froze and he spun around in superfluous rage.

"I'm getting to that!" His eye's glowed red for a moment and the squeaky man burst into flames (Which didn't do him a great deal of harm…what with being dead and all…but was still very uncomfortable.)

"No more interruptions." Murdock stepped back up to the podium.

"As I was saying. There were five of us. There was me…of course…Jack…who I assure you has been taken care of. Mr. Oogie Boogie…" a couple people cringed at the mention of Oogie Boogie's name, much to Murdock's annoyance. "…but…thanks to Jack, he is no longer a problem. Then there are two others. These…are giving me trouble. Now…I will ask from everyone in this room, from now on, that they keep an eye out for these two people…and bring them to me immediately…or tell me of their whereabouts…so that I might take care of them." Murdock gazed at the crowd intensely.

"They are Vik Finkelstein and Miss Violet Shockra Wayward. I want them found…and destroyed. Anyone who…" He paused and glared at someone who was raising a large claw, in the audience.

"What?" Murdock asked angrily.

"Ummm…who?" The creature in the audience looked around uncomfortably for any sort of support.

Murdock's lip curled.

"Ah yes…sorry. Forgot I was dealing with complete idiots. You know them as Doctor Finkelstein and the young trick or treater, Shock."

"Violet Shockra Wayward?" Shock exclaimed. The words felt odd to her. "What did he call me that for?"

Jack nodded, not really paying attention. His eye's wondered from the stage and fell to the back of Sally's head. He frowned. When he had seen her up there he had felt as though his heart had been ripped apart (Of course…he had no actual heart…but in reality…the true heart has absolutely nothing to do with love. Jack felt his symbolic heart breaking.) He had never asked her to marry him. They had been together for almost seven months…but time was no matter to him. He knew that he wanted to be together with her for an eternity. So why didn't he ever ask her?

Another thought struck him with a suddenness so dreadful that he shivered under the emotional weight of it. Even if he somehow found a way to get rid of Murdock he couldn't spend his life with her. He was dying (Or whatever one calls what a dead man does when he becomes no more.) And if he couldn't find a way…then she'd spend eternity with that louse and never know that he ever tried. He cursed himself. How could he let this happen? Why didn't he just tell her what was going on?

Jack watched Sally with the attention that he should have been paying Murdock at that moment. He couldn't tear his eye's off of her. A low rage had consumed him. That madman had taken his talent, his town, and his love. He had a collar on her even!

'I'm so sorry, Sally.' He thought to himself.

Sally was looking down at her fingers, but her eyes had a faraway look that said she was elsewhere. What tore her from daze was the sudden feeling of eyes on her back. She sat up slightly and turned around to look into the benches behind her. To the left she saw a flicker of movement as a hulking figure quickly looked away from her wondering gaze.

Her eyes fell on him. He was wearing a large purple cloak with a hood that was pulled forward and shadowing much of his face, which was bone white. In one bandaged hand he was carrying a walking stick. As far as his facial features went…he was grinning. Sally frowned. There was something odd about the grin. It seemed…fake.

He was bending over, but Sally got the feeling that if he were to stand up straight…he'd be rather tall. As she watched him, his head turned slightly and he met her gaze. The light from on of the candles reflected off of his face…his mask. That was why his grin was so false. He was wearing an eerie theatre styled mask. She watched him for a bit longer as he turned away from her again and looked almost shamefully towards the floor. When he broke their gaze, she turned away as well.

Sally looked back up at the stage towards Murdock, but she wasn't actually seeing him. She was deep in thought. Her nerves built up on her as a plan began to formulate in her mind. She touched the stitching on the wrist of the hand that had Murdock's ring on it and nodded silently to herself.

There…that chapter was a bit longer. Wow…it's almost one o' clock in the morning…I started on this at like…8:00…jeez! Well…I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Wow…I may actually finish this story before Pumpkin Town. I am very grateful for all of your reviews…they make me happy…and I'm glad that I've created a character that you all seem to hate so much 

To Skeleton The Wanderer: The image you tried to send didn't work. You could try emailing it to me if you would like to.

Updates soon!


	14. In His Touch

Chapter Thirteen:

In His Touch

It was getting late. For the past hour Murdock had been talking about his plans for Halloween. At first, Jack had tried to pay attention, despite his already preoccupied mind and his falling weariness. Now, he was finding difficulty in keeping himself upright, never mind doing it and paying attention to the mad mans ramblings. Jack cradled his head in his hands for a moment. He was exhausted. Beside him, Shock tugged frustratingly at his cloak. Jack ignored her.

"Jack!" The small trick or treator whispered furiously. Jack sighed and raised his head.

"I'm going to sneak over towards where Lock and Barrel are. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone!" She hopped down from the seat and crouched between the benches. A moment later she was gone. Jack eyed the stage for a moment. Murdock was sitting on the edge.

"And I think we've been far too generous to the trick or treators…" Murdock was saying. Jack frowned and cast a look towards the door. He couldn't sit there much longer. He had a nasty feeling that if he did, he might start losing limbs and stuff. He could either hope that Murdock was almost finished, or he could try to leave the Hall then. He decided to wait a little bit. If things got critical he'd have to depart.

Shock crouched in the shadows and crawled under various benches towards Lock and Barrel, who were watching Murdock with something like hatred on their faces and were therefore, entirely unaware of her. That was, until she slid into the seat beside them. Barrel looked at her in surprise. Lock, who was holding the chain connected to Sally's collar, was still staring up at the stage.

"What-" The younger boy began. Shock cut him off.

"Meet me in the graveyard after this meet breaks up." She said shortly. Barrel tried to peer under her hood.

"Shock?" He asked quietly.

"Yes! Now shut up and just do as I said!" She whispered at him furiously. Barrel nodded. He cast a look over his shoulder at Lock.

"What about…" Shock shook her head.

"Murdock would notice too easily if he was gone. It'll take a while for him to notice your missing. Your not as important." She hopped back down off the seat.

"Hey!" Barrel said in an offended manner. Shock had already vanished. He cast a sideways glance at Lock, who was still blissfully unaware of their conversation. His eyes fell on Sally and he was startled to find her looking at him. Her eyes left him and she looked meaningfully into the far back corner of the room. Barrel rose his brow and followed her gaze. He reached the place where she was looking in time to see Shock crawl back into her own seat. His eyes shifted to the hulking figure beside her.

He looked back at Sally with a question in his eyes, but she had looked away, back up to the stage.

Murdock had straightened to his full height and was grinning, his teeth appeared to glisten in the faint light. Where as the shadows gave them the illusion of sharpness.

"Well, this shall be an interesting Halloween. Now, line up…everyone…and I shall assign you your task for the holiday."

A couple of the residents exchanged looks at this.

"Uhh…" Started a vampire. "Ve normally do the same tasks every years. It has been that vay for a very long time."

Murdock tossed him a dark look.

"Well…it has now changed." He said softly. "Now line up."

He turned around, away from the residents of Halloween Town, and walked gracefully to the back of the stage, where he spun around with a flourish that sent two very different emotions running through Sally's heart. One was rage, which was directed at the loathsome specter due to his theft of grace. The other was a low and sorrowful longing to be able to see Jack standing up there in his place, using his own defining elegance.

She sat bitterly as everyone around her stood and moved slowly towards the stage. Murdock scanned their agonized faces with something like pleasure written across his own. It was clear that he was enjoying the sorrow he was causing them.

In the back of the hall Jack waited until there was enough people in between the benches so that Murdock's view of the far back corner was as obscure as possible. Jack and Shock shared a look. Jack nodded towards a nearby candle meaningfully. A moment later it went dark. The change in lighting went unnoticed by most everyone in the room. And as shadows overtook the back of the hall, Shock and Jack snuck silently towards the door.

Sally caught their shadows in the frame of the door. She threw a brief look towards Murdock, who was viciously ripping a corpses arm from their body. The only apparent reason for this was that the man was not wearing purple. Sally shivered. She didn't think she could spend another minute in the company of that phantom.

As though her thoughts summoned him over, Murdock left the confused corpse to mourn over his lost arm (unlike Sally, he did not have the skills equipped to re attach it.) He grinned, happily at her (As though she had not just watched him rip a mans arm off.) and ran one of his hateful leathery fingers over her face.

"You may take your leave now, darling. When you return to the Tree House, you will move your stuff…" He paused and his grin widened. "Well…I suppose you have nothing. Just move your pretty self into my chambers. I will meet you there when I am through here." He nodded at Lock and Barrel who stood and directed her out of the Town Meeting Hall.

Sally shuddered and bit her lip, willing her imagination away so that she might not be able to think about what spending a night with Murdock would be like. She held back the miserable tears that were threatening to run down her cheeks. She had to keep her mind clear. She only had one shot…she had to be focused when the opportunity came up.

Before Murdock reached the stage he turned and called after them.

"Barrel." The youngest boy turned around nervously and returned slowly to the front of the room.

"Er…yes?" He asked hesitantly. Murdock gazed at the door as Sally disappeared through it.

"I have a job for you. I want you to go around the Town Square and collect all of the ropes you come by. Bring them to me when you are finished." Barrel nodded and started to leave. Murdock grabbed him by the arm, making the boy let out a nervous cry. "That includes those on residents." He said, while casting a distrustful eye towards the hanging tree, which was shuffling past several of Halloween Towns residents and causing several cries of protest to those he ran over. Barrel nodded in relief. He hurried out the door.

Lock and Sally were halfway down Town square when Barrel caught up to them and grabbed Lock by the shoulder. The older boy turned around and looked at him curiously.

"So what'd you do?" He asked bitterly. Barrel shook his head.

"Nothing. He wants you to collect all of the ropes around town. Leave them in his quarters for him to find later this evening. I'm supposed to take Sally back to the Tree House." Lock looked at Barrel suspiciously.

"Nuh uh…what are you trying to pull?" Barrel grabbed him by the collar. For a moment this startled Lock beyond words.

"Look, just do this now. I'll tell you everything later, ok?" He looked at Barrel, then cast an annoyed look towards Sally. Finally, he growled in frustration and stomped angrily away.

"Am I the only one who hasn't gone completely nuts? First Shock…now Barrel! I swear!" He kept grumbling things as he ripped a rope free from one of the fences. (Ripping part of the fence along with it.)

Barrel turned towards Sally and shoved her chain in her hand.

"You better be back by the time Murdock returns or he's going to skin us both alive. I gotta meet Shock. I trust you know the way back on your own."

"Thank you." Sally said softly. She smiled sweetly at him. Barrel crinkled his nose in disgust in return and hurried towards the graveyard.

Sally gathered in her chain. She fingered the ring on her finger for a moment, then, after some consideration she tried to pull it loose. She decided that she did not want to see Jack while wearing a wedding ring. Unfortunately, after a few tugs it became apparent that the ring would not come loose. She frowned, then, deciding that it was best to hurry, she tugged instead at the stitches along her wrist. The hand with her wedding ring on it fell onto the crooked cobblestones of the Town Square. She wished that she could free herself from the collar around her neck, but that would mean taking her head off…and all things considering, she wasn't sure that was such a great idea.

She watched briefly as her hand crawled down the road, then, she headed shakily towards the doctors house. If she would have had a mortal heart, it would have been beating frantically.

Shock and Jack had reached the graveyard several minutes before. Shock turned towards Jack.

"Can you make it back to the doctors one your own bonehead?" She asked him with her brow raised. Jack nodded.

"I think so." He said wearily. Truthfully, he wasn't sure, but he was still proud enough not to admit that. Besides, it was important that Shock got the chance to talk to one of the other two Trick or Treators. Jack hadn't picked up a single useful thing during the town meeting. And what with the way he was currently feeling, he wasn't sure that he'd get another chance to attend another of Murdock's meetings to remedy this.

Shock nodded and headed into the cemetery, leaving Jack to struggle along his way. He braced himself against the fence that ran outside his own house, casting brief and longing looks at it. Part of him, the sorrowed miserable part that had come out a moment after the Christmas incident had failed so bitterly, told him to make one last climb up to the tower. Lay down on his familiar bed and wait until he turned to dust. The sensible part shook his head sadly. Maybe afterwards. Right now he had to try and stop Murdock, no matter how hopeless it seemed. Suddenly, much to his own distress and alarm, his legs gave out. He let out a cry as he fell to the ground.

After a moment of disorientation, he tried to hoist himself up, using his walking stick. He got almost all the way up before falling again. For a moment, Jack Skellington almost panicked, a thing that was not familiar to him in the least. He grasped at the fence desperately and pulled himself up to a sitting position. He needed to rest for a bit, that was all.

After a few minutes he managed to calm himself down. His eye sockets were closed. Deep in the back of his mind a voice shouted out in warning. It tried to warn him that this was how the living died of exhaustion. They just rested their eyes for a moment and then…

From far away someone touched his shoulder gently. Jack struggled out of his slumber and forced his eyes back open. His head felt remarkably fuzzy, as though it were full of a thick fog.

"You have to get up. Please!" Jack woke up the rest way as Sally's voice broke through the haze. He grabbed at her hand, feeling a consuming warmth rush through his otherwise always cold demeanor. For a moment he marveled at how he had memorized all of the stitches in her hand, and how right and at home it felt resting in his own. Then, with some regret, he pushed it away and tried once again to hoist himself up.

He would've failed if Sally had not wrapped her arm around his waist and helped pull him up. Jack stumbled against her as she helped him slowly down the street. They were both silent.

Jack fumbled through his mind for something to say to her, but, for the first time in his life, could think of nothing. A stab of pain and hatred struck him in his frustration. He would make sure that Murdock was stopped…if it was the last thing he ever…Jack sighed and lowered his head.

When they reached the doctors house Sally lowered him onto the steps. He gazed sadly at the ground and sighed inwardly. He could feel Sally's eyes on him, but he wasn't ready to look up at her yet. He was glad for the mask that was shielding his face.

Sally stood on the bottom step that led to the doctors door. Her eyes washed over the hulking figure before her. His Posture was not Jack's, he had no skill, he was not graceful, he was not confident, and he had not the inspiration or fierceness that Jack encompassed…but his touch _was_ Jack's.

She reached out with one tiny hand and paused as her fingers brushed up against his mask. Then, after a grief-stricken examination of the way he was carrying himself at the moment, she drew her hand back a little. She thought of Murdock and her face hardened as her hesitation became surety. She leaned forward and grabbed at his disguise. One of Jack's skeletal hands reached up to ward her hand away. She removed his mask before he was able to stop her.

For a moment they stared at each other. Sally's eye's widened. She had seriously thought that she would never see him again. Jack opened his mouth to say something but was cut off as Sally threw her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder. He returned her embrace after a moment. For the first time since he had lost his abilities he forgot about his troubles. Sally was in his arms. That was all that mattered.

Hmmm…this feels a little fluffy…tell me if I get carried away with that (I tend to sometimes.) Argh! Charlie in the Chocolate Factory came out today. I couldn't see it because I have no cash so I decided to update on this story instead. I hope you enjoy the chapter…it didn't go quite as planned…but I'll work it. I'm eager to get to the end of this story (Only because that's the only real part I'm absolutely sure of…and I don't want to lose my train of thought.) Updates soon! On all my stories. (But I'm thinking I should definitely work on Special Keys For Special Doors next.)

Thank you all very much for your reviews! I really appreciate them!


	15. A Night Of Contemplation

Chapter Fourteen

A Night Of Contemplation

Barrel walked slowly into the graveyard. Against the yellow moon, the spiral hill was a great shadow twisting up from the cold ground. Occasionally the misty forms of ghosts would dart out of the graves and float listlessly through the breeze. Barrel looked about the scenery warily and wondered how long Murdock would be up at the Meeting Hall. As he wondered, someone grabbed his shoulder and startled him out of his thoughts.

Shock lowered her hood and cast a small scythe away.

"Alright we haven't got much time, so I'm gonna fill you in quickly." Shock pulled off the robe, pulling her own mask and witches hat out of the folds so that she was back in her regular costume. "Jack's alive, but he's about as capable of doing ANYTHING to that idiot as you or I am. And I think Lock might have been right about Murdock…he changed…he's…different." Barrel nodded.

Shock seemed to consider this for a moment.

"It's like he's…"

"Jack." Barrel interrupted. "He's Jack…you were with him weren't you? He was the tall hulking guy? You didn't ask why he was so weak?" Shock rose her brow. She knew Murdock had done something to Jack. She was there when Jack and the doctor had tried to find out what it was. But she hadn't asked why.

"He is Jack, Shock. He's half Jack and he's half himself. He stole his…life force or something." Shock's eyes widened a little at his last statement.

"The law…that idiot."

"What?"

"Murdock follows the law…he knows what happens when you take someone's life force away…that Moron!" She kicked at a grave, getting a loud protest from it's inhabitant. Barrel took a few steps back. Shock was a lot less likely to take her anger out on him then Lock was, but that didn't mean she wouldn't.

"Look…this…this law…Murdock sort of explained it to us…well…when I say explained I mean he recited an entire paragraph out of the…uh…manual for the recently…er…"

"Combusted, Possessed and deceased." Shock said wearily.

"Right…that. He said it…happened to people who died before they were supposed to." Shock nodded.

"Yeah. Unscheduled deaths, it happens all the time, the idiots who run the afterlife don't have any idea what their doing."

"So…when you take someone's life force away it…"

Shock sighed…she really didn't think they had time for this.

"When you follow the law…like I do, it means you carry your spirit with you into the afterlife. If it's taken away, you become a corpse…uh…like…a real corpse…the kind that just lies there."

Barrel nodded. They were both silent for a while.

"Anyway. The reason I had you meet me here was to ask if you or Lock have found anything out about him?"

Barrel seemed to consider this.

"I dunno…we usually try to stay away from him as much as possible. He likes purple…I know that." He looked down at his outfit in distaste at this statement. Shock glared at him.

"I know that stupid! I mean something USEFUL!" Barrel shrugged.

"He doesn't like ropes. He asked us to burn all of the ones around town." Shock raised her brow.

"That's a little weird."

"Uhh…that's about it, I think." Shock sighed and sat on top of a grave.

"Well then, we're finished, if that's all you can come up with." She said this a little nastily. Barrel shrugged. After a few minutes of complete silence he spoke again.

"He was here before wasn't he? I don't remember well…but he must've been right?" Shock nodded.

"He was the skinny guy that used to drive Oogie crazy." A hint of acknowledgement crossed Barrels face.

"Oh yeah. They weren't friends…but he used to come over to the Tree House to play games…and Oogie was the only one who could get away with anything under his watch…not because Murdock liked him…because…"

"He was afraid of him. They hated each other. Murdock Hated Oogie Boogie because he wasn't afraid of him and he ALWAYS won the games they played…and Oogie hated Murdock because he was the Pumpkin King instead of him."

Barrel nodded.

"I remember."

There was a soft sound behind them. Barrel turned automatically, expecting to see Murdock standing in the shadows and grinning. Instead, he saw Sally.

"Oh…right…meetings probably almost over." He said quietly.

"Great…" Shock said bitterly. "And you weren't any help at all…good work Barrel." Her voice was laced in sarcasm. Barrel gave her a dark look.

"Hey, at least you don't have to work under him." Barrel said with a sour note in his voice. He turned away from her and headed towards the exit of the graveyard. When he reached the gates he turned back with an inquiring look in his eyes.

"Should I tell Lock about this?" Shock shook her head.

"Not unless you're sure you can be ABSOLUTELY alone with him. We didn't find out much…it isn't that important." Barrel nodded and followed Sally as she headed back towards the town square.

From Sally's old window, Jack watched them go. He didn't want her to go back to Murdock, but he knew that she had to. A shadow fell across his face.

Behind him, a whirring sound could be heard coming up the hall. Jack turned towards the door as the doctor entered the room.

"I have the elixir, Jack. Take it quickly, you look awful." He handed Jack a small flask of shining green liquid. Jack took it gently from him and tipped the contents his skeletal mouth. He winced and put the empty container aside.

The doctor watched him carefully as he did so.

"Did you find anything, Jack?" There was a hopeful look on his face. The tall skeleton shook his head wearily. There was a far away look in his countenance as he stared back out the window into the night. The doctor followed his gaze and a tired look crossed over his facade, masked by his dark glasses.

"She'll be fine Jack. Believe me, no man can keep her if she doesn't want to be kept!" There was a hint of venom in his voice. "I think you have more important things to worry about right now. You can't go to another meeting. That's for sure."

Jack nodded sadly.

"I hate to say so Jack, but if you don't think of something soon…I mean…really soon…we're out of luck. I only have enough Panax Ginseng and Bromelain for two small vials of elixir…and with the speed of your decay…that only gives us…three or fours days…at the most." Jack lowered his head.

"I don't know what to do." He said softly. "I can't even think straight anymore. My memory's are even starting to get fuzzy."

"Well…it doesn't hurt to try…although…I'm beginning to wonder if it makes any difference at all." He turned in his chair and wheeled out of the room.

After he left Jack rested his head on his skeletal hand and his eyes swept over the dark room. They paused on Sally's sewing machine again. He sighed.

"If only he wouldn't have broken that mirror…then all of this…" His thought was brought to a halt. Jack sat up, starring at the sewing machine as though it had just done something spectacular. He left his chair and crossed the room, stopping at the spidery contraption. A bit of thread dangled off of it, illuminated lightly by the full moon. Jack touched it.

"Of course…" He whispered in the silence of the room. From downstairs he heard the front door opening and closing. He looked at the door to Sally's room. It was standing open slightly. He pushed it gently until he heard it catch, and without a second thought he pulled a large chair in front of it.

In the corner, Zero was laying on a bit of a bed that Jack had made up for him. Jack crouched down beside the ghost dog and nudged him with one skeletal finger.

"Zero." The dog awoke and stared at his master groggily. "I need you to do me a favor, boy."

He stood up and crossed over to an old wooden table, picking up a bit of old parchment as he did. Zero followed him, watching him curiously as he grabbed a quill and dipped it into some suspiciously blood colored ink, before scrolling a quick not onto the ancient surface.

"I want you to go to the graveyard and tear a bit of Deadly Nightshade loose from the old grave." He said as he wrote. "Then, you will go to the tree house and find Sally. Don't get caught! Then…" He put the finishing touches on the letter and read it though, silently. He nodded, pleased and quietly tucked the note into the dogs collar. "You will make sure she reads this. You must not return until tomorrow evening. AND DO NOT RETURN WITHOUT HER. I think I have an idea…but I need some time to myself to think about it."

Zero looked up at him and barked. Jack smiled and pet his dog affectionately.

"Good luck." The dog dodged around the room for a moment before darting out the open window. Jack stood by the window for a moment as he left, before shutting and locking it as well. He turned and nodded. Now no one could bother him.

He crossed over to Sally's old bed and lowered himself into the shadows, a look of concentration flooding into his features.

As the meeting came to a close, Murdock stepped into the night. His heinous eyes set in front of him in a look of demented fixation. Anyone who saw those eyes could tell that terrible ideas were brewing behind them. He masked them with his hat, casting his pale face in a mirage of shadowed sanity and headed towards the tree house.

Every once in a while he would stop to pull an old decoration free for no apparent reason. Sometimes he just stopped and stared at something for a while. As he neared Oogie's Lair, he did this while looking blankly at a crypt that was sitting by the fence.

"Quiet." He said to no one in particular. There was silence for a long minute…and then, anyone who might have been watching him would have thought he had suddenly lost his mind. He reeled back and kicked at the crypt violently. "I SAID SHUT UP!" He seemed satisfied and started to head towards the tree house, still conversing with himself.

"I'll need silence from you Barrigan if you want to ever see the light of day again. And Marie and Contralline. Why can't I hear Jack! I have his bloody life force! Where is he?"

When he reached the elevator into the large tree he stopped talking to himself and walked through the wall of the cage lift. He could have easily gotten to the top by himself. But he wasn't in any mood to be somewhere quickly. Something was going wrong. He could feel it.

When he finally reached the top, he stepped out of the cage and headed silently towards his room. In the distance he could have sworn he heard the sound of barking. He looked around…and then after a few minutes of complete silence, he shrugged and continued toward his quarters.

Finally. I have been having so many problems with developing this part of the story. I think I've got it now. I have the ending planned out and the afterward…I just need the rest of the in between stuff. I think I may actually finish this story before Pumpkin Town, though. It seems like I can get to the ending of this one much faster. I can't wait! I've had the ending planned out before I even started WRITING this story. Sigh.

Sorry it's taken so long. I meant to update sooner, but I was on vacation and then for the last couple of days I've been sort of on one train of thought. (I saw Phantom Of The Opera at Ohio Theatre a day or so ago and I've been freaking out over it ever since…I love Phantom of The Opera.) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thank you for your reviews! Updates Soon!


	16. The Escape

Dear readers,

Lol, you're going to absolutely hate me for the beginning of this chapter. Please just keep reading and trust me. Thank you.

Chapter Fifteen

The Escape

Murdock walked slowly toward his room. He had been in a rather pleasant mood that evening up until now. The almost constant grin had faded from his face and his eyes, covered as they were, had turned a deep blood red. He paused in front of his door, his fingers an inch from the wood. It was completely silent inside.

He narrowed his eyes and stepped in quietly. The room was dark. He grinned.

"No doubt decided to sneak out on me. To find your lover!" He waved a hand and several candles were set alight with purple flame. Murdock's smile faded and he stepped back, a little surprised. Sally was lounging on the large purple bed, wearing the nightgown he had instructed her to wear. She had a look of utmost innocence on her face. One tiny stitched hand was running through her hair nervously.

"Perhaps not." He said quietly. "Or maybe your just quick, darling, and you managed to return before me." He leaned on the edge of the bed and gave her a penetrating look. A look of guilt crossed over Sally's countenance and she bit her lip, so that her culpability was even more pronounced.

Murdock frowned.

"Where is he? I know he isn't dead! I can't hear him, like I can the others."

An odd look crossed over Sally's face and she smiled a little.

"I thought you said you knew where he was." She said playfully. Murdock's eyes narrowed.

"I lied. Now tell me where he is!" He grabbed her wrist forcefully, and then was taken aback when she shook his hand free.

"It doesn't matter where he is." She said bitterly. "You were right before…even if you were lying. He's so weak that he might as well be dead. He's not like my lover at all anymore." A look of sorrow crossed her features. Murdock straightened a little, looking slightly relieved.

"Yes…well…I figured as much." Feeling quite a bit more cheerful, Murdock slid into bed beside Sally. "Well, my dear, I'm afraid you'll just have to live with it. I'm your best bet now. As I have said before, everything Jack was is mine now. I have all of the pieces of him you loved. He's playing with an empty deck, because all of his cards are mine." During his rather long explanation, in which he hadn't paid much attention to Sally as he situated himself in the large purple bed, something had flickered in Sally's eyes. When he finally did turn back towards her, she was smiling and whatever had been there before was gone.

"Yes…your right…I see that now. Seeing him that way made me sad…but he was so pathetic…and…I just can't love him like that…I suppose that makes me horrible." Murdock grinned delightfully.

"Not at all, my dear. He isn't really Jack anymore, after all." Sally nodded, looking as though this made her feel loads better.

Murdock leaned in to kiss her, all of the previous woes of the evening forgotten. This time, Sally let him. She even returned his kiss. After a few moments, they broke and Sally gave him an absolutely charming smile.

"Would you like some wine, darling." She asked lovingly. Murdock returned her smile. But his was not so charming as it was chilling and wicked. She appeared as to not have noticed.

"Please." Sally stood up, the skirt of her purple nightgown falling and dragging across the floor as she crossed the room to a rather ancient looking bottle of wine. The label read:

_Vindictive Ale:_

_300-year-old alcohol mixed_

_With the real blood of hero's! _

_Drink the blood of the men_

_Who vanquished YOU. _

Sally pulled the cork out and filled two glasses with the dark, murky wine. She then lifted the glasses and returned to the bed, handing one to Murdock as she lowered herself into the black and purple sheets.

Sally raised her glass.

"To a long and horrible reign." She said sweetly. Murdock grinned and touched his glass to hers. He lifted it to his lips and then paused, noting that Sally was not doing the same. He lowered it, his smile fading a little. Sally watched him do this with some confusion.

"Ladies first." He said quietly.

Sally looked down at her own glass and then, much to his surprise; she smiled and drank deeply from it. After she swallowed, the suspicion had left Murdock's gaze.

"You'll have to excuse me, sweet heart. It was only earlier this evening that you were ready to pull your arm off to get away from me.

"I understand.' Sally said, while taking another sip from her glass.

He looked at her, in a satisfied manner and then drained his own glass completely.

"Ah…delicious. A bit bitter…but that's what's to be expected from wine that's older then you." He smiled and set his glass aside. Sally was smiling at him politely. Her own glass still clutched in her tiny hand. Her other arm, still handless was lying on the sheets beside her. Murdock seemed to notice this and for a moment, the suspicion returned to his gaze.

"What happened to your other hand my dear?"

Sally looked down at it as though she had noticed it for the first time. She frowned, but didn't hesitate in the least.

"I lost it after the meeting. It snagged on a fence. I looked for it, but I wasn't able to find it." A look of concern crossed her face as she pressed some of the autumn leaves back into her arm. Murdock nodded, seeming to accept this answer.

He took the glass of wine gently from her hand and set it aside. Sally looked up at him anxiously as his leather fingers ran through her hair.

"No need to worry about that now. I am sure it will be found." He removed his hat, revealing his now lavender colored eyes and leaned in to kiss her again. He paused halfway and his face suddenly filled with confusion.

"Funny…I'm suddenly…very…very tired." He said, backing up a little. Sally watched him, her face now, unreadable.

"Perhaps you should sleep then." She said quietly. Murdock nodded and then his wretched irises fell back into his lids and he collapsed against the silver head of the giant divan styled bed. Sally grinned in satisfaction as she stood and crossed over to the other side of the room.

She stood at the door for a moment, observing the phantom as he slept.

"You may have Jack's talent. But I love him for what he has inside and I hate you for what you have inside and no matter what you take or what he loses that part doesn't change." She exited the room, closing the door behind her quietly.

Zero was waiting outside the door impatiently. He whined softly when he saw her.

"Shhh, Zero. I only lined his glass with a little of it…I don't know how strong it is. Come on. I want to find those two children before we leave." She pulled Jack's note from out of one of the ribbons in her hair, undoing the ribbon as she did and squeezed the note for comfort in her good hand. Zero followed her down hall as she searched for the Evil Playroom.

Since Lock and Barrel had returned that evening, neither one had spoken to other short of Lock saying nasty things about the smaller boy under his breath. Finally, after seeing that Barrel was deep in thought, the older boy picked up a rusty blade and flung it at him angrily.

Barrel noticed it and managed to duck as it grazed the back of his neck. (But didn't take off his head…and really…that was the part that mattered.)

"Watch it!" Barrel shouted angrily at him.

"No way, stupid! You said you'd explain why you were acting so weird earlier and I want you to explain!"

"I can't!"

"Why?"

Barrel leaned forward a little and whispered.

"He might be listening." Lock considered this for a moment, and shook his head.

"Nah…he just got married this morning, remember. He's not paying attention to us."

At that moment the door opened and Lock shouted in worried surprise. Both boys looked towards it as though something terrible was about to come through. They relaxed after they saw it was Sally.

"Oh…it's you. DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!" Lock said angrily. A look of worry had crossed Barrels face.

"Where's Murdock?"

Sally closed the door behind her and then spoke quietly. She didn't think he'd wake up any time soon, but she decided it was best to be safe.

"He's asleep. I slipped him some Deadly Night Shade." Both boys looked slightly impressed at this statement.

"Listen, Jack sent me a note. He wants us all to escape tonight and meet him at the doctor's house tomorrow morning. He wrote that he has a plan and he thinks he needs all of us to pull it off."

"Jack's alive?" Lock asked, with a note of shocked surprise in his voice.

"Yes. Come on. We have to be quick."

Both boys nodded and followed her out the door. Lock seemed to be in a bit of a haze as he did.

'Incredible,' he thought. 'We're actually escaping.'

Somewhere, several miles away in a very cold and gloomy waiting room, the Grim Reaper sat impatiently. The head of the board had fallen asleep beside him. The reaper was getting agitated, as he constantly had to push the man off of him.

He raised one skeletal hand to look at the tiny sheet of paper clutched in it.

'#999120.' It read. He frowned and looked up at the screen above the receptionist's desk. 'Now serving # 365." The illuminated letters read. The reaper cursed under his breath and stood up. He crossed to the desk where a bored woman was sitting and chewing a piece of stale gum.

"Madam…I am here for a very important reason and would really like to get back into one of the filing rooms so that I can find some information on a dangerous man…so if you would be so kind as to let ME THROUGH!"

The receptionist looked up from a paper she was reading.

"Please return to your seat sir…" The teenager said in a bored manner. She pointed up to the screen. "And wait for your turn. Thank you." She then went back to reading her paper. The reaper waited for a moment, then growled in frustration and returned to his seat.

To Senko 44: YOU HAVE TO SEE THE THEATRE VERSION! (Phantom of The Opera.) It's fantastic! Man! And I thought I was a fan before! I still don't have the CD…which makes me sad…because I've had all of the songs stuck in my head since last Thursday when I went. Oh well…-.-

Anyways…I hope I didn't confuse anyone right at first. I imagine that everyone knew what was going on right away…but I was kind of worried about that. Anyway…here's another chapter. I know I'm going to finish this story before Pumpkin Town now. It is SO close to being done. I'd estimate another five chapters at the _most_. I hope you liked this one. Thank you very much for your reviews. I'll update soon!


	17. Something From Before

**Terribly sorry. I had to fix some stuff and re post this chapter. Yea…it's like what…two weeks later . I need to pay more attention to this stuff. **

**I'm working on chapter seventeen as we speak. I'm sorry it has taken as long as it has.**

Chapter Sixteen:

Something From Before

_It was yet another Halloween. Everyone was miserable, their eyes downcast as they wondered the streets bitterly, wondering what said night would bring. _

_On the outskirts of town, looming above the morose scene was a giant tree house, looking out over the town in defiance. The gates at the bottom of the tree house were closed off to anyone in Halloween Town who might wonder in. There were two shadows visible in the window and one just barely standing off to the right. There were noises. Upraised voices. If someone had been listening in, the conversation may have sounded like this:_

"_WHAT! That move was IMPOSSIBLE. You cheated!" Came a deep voice, from of figure whose eyes were glowing unpleasantly in the shadows. _

"_Ha! Don't be a sore loser, Oogie! How could I have cheated? You were watching me the whole time." Came a lighter and melodic voice. _

"_I haven't lost yet, corpse boy! And see you or not, Murdock I KNOW you cheated!" His voice grew dangerous as he ended his statement. The dark figure he was addressing, grinned. _

"_Think so?" Murdock asked quietly. "Call it Jack! Did I cheat or not?" Murdock turned to a tall figure sitting in the corner. _

_Jack raised his head and examined the table…already knowing the answer._

"_You couldn't have made that move without cheating, Murdock." He said quietly. _

"_Ha!" Oogie Boogie mocked from the other side of the table. _

_Murdock gave Jack a dirty look before turning back to the game. _

"_Fine, but I'm still winning, even without that move." Murdock's voice was bitter now. _

"_Not for long." Oogie answered quietly. _

_Jack sighed and sat back in the dusty chair, gazing out the window as he did. He didn't really have any interest in the game. He knew who was going to win. He knew who ALWAYS won and it didn't matter. _

_For the last two years Murdock and Oogie had played a game that they had both made up, using each other's rules. Murdock used his cards and Oogie used his dice and they played long into the night of All Hallows Eve. The rules were hard to follow, the game was hard to comprehend, and no matter who the winner was, Halloween Town itself suffered a great loss. _

_Oogie always won. And Jack was just waiting for the day when Murdock would finally slip and bet Halloween Town as the prize. That would be the day when they lost one terrible king and gained another. _

_Jack had been watching the two for a long time now, and he wasn't sure which one was more horrible. As far as he was concerned, the town would be a lot better off without either of them. And yet, here he sat, under the Pumpkin Kings orders, moderating their game and waiting for the boogie man to win and get his prize, so that he could leave and perhaps steal away to the spiral hill for a bit before he had to participate in another of Murdock's cruel and ridiculous celebrations. _

_His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of victorious laughter. Then came a crash as Murdock lost his temper and tilted the table, spilling all of it's contents onto the floor. _

_Jack looked up and sure enough, the game had ended and it looked as though the winner was obvious. _

"_Haha! Best control that temper of yours, Murdock." Oogie Boogie said with a sneer. It was clear that he was enjoying himself. _

_Murdock straightened his collar, which had been knocked off kilter slightly when he had tipped over the table. _

"_Fine! You win this time!" Murdock said angrily. He shot Jack a dirty look before heading towards an opening that served as the door. When he got there he turned and removed something from inside of his jacket and threw it at Oogie._

"_There, the key to The Gate. Although I doubt you'll find much use for it." He stormed out the door. Jack and Oogie Boogie watched him go apathetically. When the echo of his footprints could no longer be heard, Oogie turned to Jack with a wicked smile. _

"_Good call, Jacky-boy." He removed something from underneath the table and handed it over to Jack, who took it hesitantly. It was a large leather bound book. Jack gave Oogie Boogie a dark look before clutching it tightly and standing. _

"_I'm not going to help you again." The statement held no emotion. His words were just stated as a fact. Oogie smiled. _

"_Of course you aren't, Jack." There was a touch of sarcasm in his voice. Jack's eyes narrowed. And he took a few steps forward. He towered above the Boogieman, whose smile faded slightly. _

"_I'm serious." He said softly before exiting the room. Oogie Boogie looked after him in hatred. _

"_After I get that barmy king, I'm gonna come after you skeleton man." He said acidly. _

_A few minutes later Jack was at the gate at the bottom of the tree house. He stepped through the metal entrance and took a few steps before someone grabbed his arm forcedly. _

"_Jack…" Murdock's eyes were hidden by the gathering shadows on his face. Jack tried to shake his arm free from the corpse but was incapable of doing so. _

"_Let go, Murdock!" Jack said icily. Murdock's grasp tightened. _

"_You disappointed me tonight, Jack. You had a chance to get on my good side, but like so many other instances you've given me reason to consider whether or not your services are even needed in Halloween Town." Jack tried to wrench his hand free once more, but stopped immediately when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. _

"_So? What do you have to say for yourself…" Murdock's sentence was brought to an abrupt halt when Jack yanked something out of a nearby tree and held it out towards Murdock who recoiled. The noose made a bereaving shadow on the corpses stitched and gnarled face. _

_Jack pulled his bony arm out of the mans long fingers and took a few steps back, still holding the noose out in front of him. Murdock glowered at Jack in detestation._

"_Who do you think you are? I am the Pumpkin King and I will not be treated this way some boneheaded idiot such as yourself!" His eyes were visible now in the faint light. Dark veins lined within the discoloring whites and encircles the irises, which had turned a bright red._

_Murdock stepped forward, a look of danger overcoming his countenance. _

"_One more chance, Jack, just one more. The next time that I feel you've stepped out of line I will personally make sure you have a permanent assignment in the Netherworld." He gave the noose one last distrustful look before straightening and walking quietly towards The Town Square. _

_Jack glared after him. He eyed his skeletal hand, still clasping the noose wearily before letting it fall to the ground and walking slowly towards the other side of town. He really wasn't sure of any destination in particular. He just wanted to be somewhere where he wouldn't have to worry about either Oogie Boogie or Murdock._

_In the distance the pumpkin sun rose, marking the beginning of Halloween. _

_As the shadows began to dissolve in the early morning light and the shapes of the buildings became more identifiable an indomitable thought popped into Jack's skull without hardly being summoned. This had to stop. He had to do something. _

He had to do something.

Jack opened his eyes and for a moment was not sure where he was. He sat up and looked around the strange and dreary room, lit only by the bit of sunlight coming through the large window by the bed.

He frowned and grasped at the sheet obscuring much of the afternoon light. He had fallen asleep. He remembered now. He had planned to stay up late into the night, trying to work the plan that had come upon him suddenly, through his mind before he decided whether or not it was a good idea to follow through with it.

He didn't get very far. But that was all right. Because he had been trying to remember things from his earlier days in Halloween Town from the moment Murdock stepped back through the gates.

He was glad it had been that particular memory as well. Because of it, he had a feeling that he had his answer. And he was all the more convinced that his plan was the only thing that would work, short of waiting for someone to arrive, a thing that may take weeks, or months, or years, knowing the system of the underworld. (People rarely concerned themselves with time when they were dead. It was still a long wait…but it wasn't as though they were wasting precious moments of their time, doing so.)

Jack stood from the bed and with some difficulty he wrenched the chair from in front of the door. He hoped that things had gone smoothly the night before. Not only because he had desperately wanted to get Sally away from Murdock, (Although, that was probably his biggest concern at the time.) but also because, if they hadn't, then his plan was already in trouble even before he started executing it.

The Grim Reaper was fast asleep. Which was odd…because on normal occasions, he almost never slept. (But he did often make sure that others did.) He was woken abruptly when someone hammered on his skull irritatingly.

The reaper sat up and looked around him in a moment of disorientation. He then looked up at whoever had the gall to wake him up in such a disrespectful manner. What he saw was an impatient elder woman with a cigarette smoldering between her pale fingers.

"Juno." The reaper greeted her groggily. The woman frowned down at him impatiently.

"I really shouldn't have to come down here because your causing trouble in the waiting room, Charles. THIS isn't my job." She said irately.

"I know." The reaper said apologetically. "But I can't wait any longer. Those idiots in the board…"

"I know, I know. They didn't take away your assistants charms, they left him unguarded on the truck, and they haven't been taking the search seriously. What is demanding to be seen before all of these DEAD people who have been waiting here for weeks going to do for you?"

"I just need Murdock's files. That's it." The reaper explained. "I'm sorry if I've caused any trouble…but I need to see his past information so that I have some idea of where he is."

Juno looked as though she were considering this.

"Fine. Jasper, take The Reaper to the file room." A large zombie dressed in a police uniform nodded stupidly to Juno and motioned for the reaper to follow him.

"Thank you." The reaper said to Juno in a relieved manner before following the large guard.

"Yea…just don't bother me with something like this again." The woman said before heading back towards her office.

_----- _


	18. Jack's Plan

Chapter Seventeen:

Jack's Plan

Jack made his way down the rickety stairway, holding the banister for support, his skeletal face stuck in an expression of deep contemplation. When he reached the last step, he looked up at the empty kitchen and sighed. It was around noon, so he assumed that the doctor had awoken hours before and was probably messing with some experiment in his lab.

There wasn't a sign that anyone else was around. This worried him a little. He approached a dining chair wearily and sat down, running his plan once more through his skull as he did.

Sally had arrived at the doctors house around midnight. She had spent much of the night sewing her hand back (Which she had found waiting for her outside the tree house.)on and then sitting up anxiously waiting for dawn. The doctor had filled her in on how far along Jack's case was and she didn't like the sound of it at all. At around six O' clock she had fallen into an uneasy sleep, awakened by the familiar sound of her old bedroom door opening. She had been in the library at the time.

Sally arose from an old grimy chintz arm chair and left the library a little nervously. She walked across the dingy hallway and descended the stair case in a precarious fashion. About halfway down she spotted Jack, leaning one arm on the doctors filthy wooden table. He seemed preoccupied with something and was not aware of her presence.

She was but a few feet away when he finally did see her out of the corner of his eye socket. Jack straightened and fixed her with a look of surprise, as though she had meant to sneak up on him. There was a moment of complete silence between them. Then, Jack smiled and broke.

"Wonderful," He said quietly. "I was hoping that things had gone smoothly last night." Sally returned his smile, feeling, with some relief, all of the awkwardness drain out of the situation.

"Yes, of course, you helped a lot with that." She said a little shyly. Jack's smile widened, a thing which ignited a warm sensation in Sally's heart, though she could not help but notice how somnolent it was.

" Yes, but I learned it from you." Sally smiled at him sweetly and put her arms around his neck. After burrying her face in his bony shoulder, she spoke in a muffled voice.

"I missed you so much when I was with him, Jack. He was awful." Jack returned her embrace and stroked her blood red locks with his skeletal fingers.

"I apologize for taking so long. You should not have had to deal with him at all."

The moment was suddenly broken when they both heard someone clear their throat noisily. Both Jack and Sally looked up to find the doctor sitting at the door down to his laboratory. He was giving them an irate look. Sally straightened.

"Good morning, Doctor." Jack said, smiling weakly.

"Jack…" The doctor returned in acknowledgement. "Perhaps you'd be obliged to tell why you were locked up in one of my rooms all night." The doctor said as he wheeled across the room. Jack nodded.

"Of course. But first, I need Lock Shock and Barrel to be present." The doctor cringed.

"Those troublemakers. I don't see much good they'll do." He rested a few feet away from Jack, getting between him and Sally, much to her dismay.

"They are vital to my plan." Jack said wearily. The doctor nodded.

"Fine…I'll get Igor to fetch them." He tossed Jack an uncertain look and slowly wheeled off to find his hunchbacked assistant.

When he was gone, Sally gave Jack a cautious look.

"Jack…what exactly are you planning?" He looked up at her and smiled warmly.

"You'll know in a moment, my dear." She frowned as her heart sank bitterly. She was aware of a dark certainty rising up inside of her. Jack's smiled faded and she could only assume it was because of the look of ambiguity forming on her own countenance. Jack stood, using the table as a crutch, to pull himself up and to brace himself as he moved shakily towards her. In made her heart ache to see it.

"I'm sorry Jack…" She said immediately. "It's not that I don't think it's going to…" He cut her off, taking her chin gently in his bony fingers.

"It's an awful plan…and I don't doubt that it will end badly. But it's all I have…and I think it may be our last choice. Please trust me, Sally." His face was soft and pleading. Sally nodded. She put her arms around his lanky shoulders and pulled him towards her. It was miraculous how a kiss could differ when making the comparison between someone you love and someone you hate. In kissing Jack, Murdock's hateful features seemed a distant and faint concern.

For one of them anyways.

Lock, Shock and Barrel were located in the graveyard. They were conversing and eventually arguing about what they'd like to do to Murdock when they got the chance. Lock said that he didn't think Shock deserved an opinion because she had bailed on them to begin with and therefore did not have to put up with Murdock's madness. Then he turned on Barrel and said that he didn't either. When Barrel protested, Lock punched him in the stomach.

They were found like this shortly after and were brought back to the doctors house, still grumbling and occasionally hitting each other whenever they thought the situation called for it. (Which was quite often actually.) They were only silent when they finally got into the house and saw Jack, leaning against the table with his arms crossed. He was fully dressed and for at least that moment, he looked very much like the Pumpkin King. After a moment, however, their silence was broken when Lock spoke.

"It's about time you decided to do something!" He said sourly. Jack frowned and gave him a stern look.

"Sit down, please." He said softly. Lock did, grumbling lightly. Jack stood, with some effort. (Though he had just taken a vial of elixir and was therefore not in too bad of shape.)

"Alright. Now it's important that you listen carefully. I only have time to explain this once." He closed his fingers arounda noose thathe had found in the doctors chambersand pulled it out in front of him, gazing at it as though it sparked some far off memory.

"As you have probably guessed, Murdock was hung." Jack said carefully.

"Well that explains his stupid rope phobia." Lock whispered bitterly. Jack ignored him and went on as though he had said nothing.

"He's always hated ropes. They make him weaker…for a few minutes, anyways. He forgets that he is already dead." Jack dropped the rope on the floor. "Tomorrow evening, it can be no later. I am going to take the rest of my elixir and I am going to go out to the square. I will put this rope on the gallows. I have no doubt that he will be their shortly after. He's acquired a lot of abilities in the past which make him very aware…and very dangerous."

Sally interrupted him then.

"Jack, maybe one of us should do it."

"Yeah, bonehead. You can barely stand up as it is." Shock said loudly. Jack shook his head.

"No…It must be me. As for the rest of you…" He paused and looked down at the floor as though he were considering something very carefully.

"This is very important." His voice was quiet and unsure. "I have jobs for each of you. You must do them quickly…and please, just trust me. Firstly, Sally, I need you to go back to our house. Lift the trap door under our bed and take the last item remaining within it. Bring it here and please be very careful." Sally nodded hesitantly. "Then, when you return, I need to you set up your old sewing machine."

He then walked over to Lock, Shock and Barrel and kneeled down.

"You three must be particularly careful. I'm going to ask you to go back to the tree house. Twice. Once tonight, and once tomorrow evening." He leaned in closer and whispered to all three of them. It appeared much as it did on the day that he had instructed them to kidnap Sandy Claws. Except, at that time they had been thrilled. Now, all three of them had first been curious, then frightened. When Jack straightened again, Shock repudiated immediately.

"No way, Jack. That's not helping at all! That just makes things ten times worse!" Jack frowned.

"It's all I have and it doesn't. Murdock is VERY dangerous. He must be stopped."

"But this…" Lock said hesitantly. "This is crazy."

"You will do it." Jack said sternly. "You must. Or would you rather put up with him until someone else comes a long?…" Lock and Barrel exchanged a look.

"No, but…"

"Then you will do it!" Jack said cynically. He may not have had the power that he had once had…and it was obvious that he was both very tired and very frightened, but there was something about his features at that moment, which startled nearly everyone in the room.

"Alright." Lock said slowly. "But it's your fault if this thing backfires." Jack leaned against the table once more.

"I know." He said tiredly. He turned towards the doctor.

"Lastly, doctor, I must ask you to make as much elixir as you have the ingredients for and to craft something that may be able to distract him for any amount of time that we may need." He leaned over and took the noose gently from the ground.

The doctor looked at Jack in annoyance. His eyes were narrowed and his face looked set of objection.

"I still don't understand Jack. If your going to make us a part of some kind of wild and dangerous plan of yours, you could at least tell us all of the details." Jack laughed hollowly.

"I fear that if I do, I will change my mind." This got a less then enthusiastic reaction from those listening. While he did not look, Lock, Shock and Barrel shared an uncomfortable look and the doctor gazed at Jack wildly, as though certain that he had gone completely mad.

Sally, had not looked up from the floor since Jack had addressed her. She did now, gazing at him warmly. He met her gaze and gave her a forlorn smile. He then turned back to the others, who averted their gazes at once.

"Listen, I know…it sounds…terrible…but…I really believe this is the last chance we have. I won't be here after tomorrow evening. I wouldn't be doing this if I thought it was hopeless."

The doctor turned back to Jack and then sighed.

"Fine, Jack. One last time…but it better work!" He wheeled off in a fowl mood.

Shock frowned.

"I guess it could work. But I still think it's stupid. Come on you idiots. We have lots of work to do." She pulled Lock and Barrel up by their collars and yanked them after her. Both of them looked uncertain…but figured, if Shock was going to make them, they didn't have much of a choice.

Sally approached Jack and touched his arm gently. He turned towards her. She looked at him sadly.

"I know what your planning Jack." She said softly. He gave her a half hearted smile.

"Have you been visited by and horrible visions yet?" Sally embraced him.

"I'll follow you even if I do have one, Jack." Jack shook his head and pushed her gently away, closing his skeletal fingers around her arms.

"No. If you have one, tell me and I'll stop. I can't afford not to listen to you again, my dear." He kissed her on the forehead. "Now, hurry and go to the tower while Murdock may still be disoriented." Sally nodded.

"I love you Jack." She said, feeling the need to, before she left his arms.

"I love you too." He returned softly. They parted and the evening began.

_Authors Note_

I should be kicked in the teeth. I apologize for how long this has taken. I've been busy and have had other things on my mind. Just to let you know, I have not forgotten you. I plan still to finish all of my stories. Thank you once more for your reviews. I will update as soon as I can.


	19. According To Plan

Chapter Eighteen:

According To Plan

The Grim Reaper had dozed off. Looking through several thousand stacks of old dusty files generally did have that effect. He awoke when someone, clearly aggravated, began to bang something against his hollow skull.

"Wake up!" The reaper pulled himself from his doze and peered into Juno's angry face.

"Are you finished yet? I have too many unnecessary wondering spirits on my hands due to your absence in the mortal world. I had to put a padlock on my office door to keep them out!"

The reaper sat up and sighed.

"I haven't found anything on Murdock yet."

Juno rolled her eyes and began shuffling through a stack of files on the shelf above her.

"Here it is." She handed the Reaper the file, who looked at it with some annoyance. "These are organized alphabetically you know." Behind her, just as she finished her sentence a giant red light above the door began flashing. Juno's jaw tightened.

"Not another one!" With that she turned on her heel and headed out of the file room angrily.

The reaper gazed at the file .

**Manifesto. Murdock Malevolence.**

**Assigned To: Halloween Town**

He opened the file carefully and began reading.

* * *

In the dingy room, seemingly hit with a violent dash of purple, one crimson eye shot open. Floating within the retina's stew, the start of anger became apparent, though the eye was still clouded over. Finally, after a few moments in which it took him to awaken fully, he clutched the side of the bed with his claw like hand and pulled himself up. His face was livid.

"You will _pay_ for that, _darling_!" He growled into the darkness.

Though his head ached (Only feeding into his anger.) he threw back the covers and angrily (Though quite silently.) stormed through the halls, ignoring the way his head seemed to have taken on a pulse.

First, he came to her old room and threw open the door. His eyes were bulging as he peeked in…and his lips were pulled back in a grimace that showed his wretchedly white teeth. When he saw no one was there, he gave a cry of anger that would have chilled just about anyone to the bone. (For though it sounded much like Jack, the hatred and wickedness was there as well.)

He turned his head, inadvertently snapping two of the stitches on his neck. At the end of the hall, the desolate almost organic few steps up to the Play Room could be seen glittering in the moonlight.

Murdock shut the door to Sally's room and headed towards the stairs angrily.

"Oh boys, you shall regret the day…" He spoke to himself. His eyes were glowing in the darkness.

When he finally reached them, he climbed them elegantly. At the top, the room stood up like a crypt, he pushed, and there…was no one. For a moment he just stood, then, finally, rage took over and he clutched at the mirror and threw it out on of the openings which served as a window. It shattered on one of the thick tree branches, and the remains tumbled silently into the darkness.

Murdock stood at the window watching it fall. If he had the gift of breath, his would have been coming out in harsh gasps. As it were, he just stood silently, the darkness folding around him.

After a while, he grinned.

"Well," He said to no one in particular. "If that is how you want it, then do be it. If Jack _is _still alive…you shall all perish with him. He clutched at the symbol hidden beneath his chemise and grinned broadly.

"Then, there shall be no one left who can stop me…and even old Charlie will have to bow down in fear."

"Let's play, Jack." He laughed silently to himself, vanishing into the shadows and waiting for the other to make his first move.

* * *

The streets of Halloween Town were unusually bare. Autumn leaves blew down the fracturing cobbles and brushed weakly against Sally's stitched ankles. Her purple dress was torn in many places, the lace falling about chaotically, the ribbons torn and flailing in the breeze. She had ripped the skirt purposefully so that it would be easier to move in…she could not wait to get her old clothing back.

Sally looked around uncomfortably, as though making sure that none of the shadows were shaped oddly and then set off in silence towards her and Jack's house.

The strange stillness greeted her with unease. There was no music, no voices, humming the Halloween song under their breath (Breath used in a metaphorical sense of course.) there wasn't anything at all.

Sally was relieved when she finally reached the gate. She pushed it open, causing it to emit a long and agonizing creak. She then stepped in and headed towards the front door. Above her, the tower window was cool and dark.

Once she was inside, she was struck by a the sort of mournful feeling that one got in an empty house, where no one was present, or had been for many years. She ignored it and began her ascent up to the tower, still keeping an eye on all of the shadows.

When she opened the trap door to the tower, the feeling that came to her was that of sorrow. It struck so bitterly that she almost began to weep. Home. She thought. And yet, even if she could go on living there after Murdock was defeated, it would still feel so empty without Jack.

Sally closed the trap door and crossed the room. Her head was lowered, as she no longer paid any mind to the shadows that engulfed the interior. It had struck her, all at once, that she would never spend another night or day in this house with Jack. Even if they were able to destroy Murdock, Jack would still perish…the sadness was almost more then she could bare.

Underneath where their bed had been, the trap door was still standing open. Sally reached in and pulled out the bundle of cloth. Touching it brought a feeling of terror to her, but she had no flashes of precognition, and therefore tried to ignore it as best as she could.

She then closed the wooden door and began her way back to Jack.

* * *

Lock, Shock and Barrel stalked slowly through the forest, approaching the Tree house at a speed that would get them there…eventually. This was mostly do to the fact that Shock kept having to stop and strike both boys until they started moving again.

"But Shock," Lock complained from behind her. "You don't understand, he's worse then Oogie Boogie…he's worse the Jack! You never worked for him…we did!"

Shock wheeled around and struck Lock in the gut.

"Shut up Lock!" She whispered furiously. "Or he'll hear us!"

Barrel, who was as silent as always peered up at the tree house nervously, ignoring Lock as he was yelling to Shock about betrayal, and how both of them were against him. For a moment, Barrel froze, as though afraid of something, then, slowly, relaxed again. Finally, he turned and looked at both of the older kids, who were staring each other down angrily.

"I don't think Murdock's at the tree house anyway." Barrel said casually. Both children broke eye contact and stared at him as though he had appeared out of thin air. Shock straightened.

"What makes you think that?" She asked, a little mockingly.

"He just walked by the mouth of the forest, towards town. He was talking to himself."

Lock looked out towards When Murdock had been a second before.

"He…he didn't see us?" He asked a little shakily. Barrel shrugged.

"Well then lets hurry to the Tree House before he does see us!" Shock said, snapping both boys out of a stunned silence. They nodded and followed her, at a quicker pace, towards the towering lair of the late Oogie Boogie.

* * *

Meanwhile, while the others were out, slowly making Jack's plan a reality, Jack sat by himself in the doctors kitchen, staring at a candle as it flickered in the darkness. He could hear the doctor working in his lab, a thing that ensured him that things were moving along as intended.

He had no doubt that things would have to be done on the next evening. This meant that tonight and tomorrow would be tiring for everyone as they hurried to set everything up before jack turned into a pile of dust.

Beside him, the clock struck nine. Jack blew out the candle and stood up. He'd take one vial of potion tonight and the last three would be saved for him to take on the next evening.

Then…he would just have to see how things turned out.

* * *

Once again I apologize for the immense wait. This chapter is fairly short, and the next one may be fairly short too…but right now I estimate the number of chapters left to be at two. Yes, two chapters…we're definitely getting there. Then three, if you count the "Afterward" and there will be an Afterward. After that, I'll move back to Pumpkin Town, since it, too is reaching it's end. After I'm done with that, I'll go to Special Keys For Special Doors and then once that's done, everything will be done, but I hope we have fun with it until then.

I had really hoped to be pleased enough with Corpse Bride, so that I might write something for it…but alas, it's quality didn't even come close to TNBC. It was good, but I think Tim Burton could have done better.


	20. Acting As Though It Is Not Goodbye

Chapter 19

Acting As Though It Is Not Goodbye

Sally returned to the doctor's house with the bundle of fabric under her arm. She found the doctor in the kitchen, sitting, and being served by his new "wife" Jewel. As she stepped into the room she felt slightly uncomfortable.

"Where's Jack?" She asked the doctor, ignoring a snide look received by the homely creation.

"He's upstairs in your room." The doctor said while frowning. "If he opens the door for you, tell him that I have what he asked for, but I'm not going to do anything that's going to place me anywhere near that maniac."

Sally nodded and walked slowly up the ramp towards the door that used to be hers. When she reached it she leaned against the wood and knocked gently.

"Jack?" For a moment there wasn't any noise from the other side, then, she heard footsteps and the door opened for her. Jack smiled and stepped aside so that she could enter.

Sally stepped inside, feeling slightly odd as the familiar walls rose up around her. Behind her Jack closed the door. She turned towards him. He looked tired.

"I'm glad you got back alright." He said softly.

"Yes…well…he's probably still preoccupied." Sally said shyly. Jack shook his head and sat down on what used to be the edge of her bed.

"No. I imagine he's awakened by now. I don't think he's going to bother us." Sally watched Jack as he said this.

"Why not?" She asked while gently setting down the bundle of fabric.

"Because he knows we can't win." Jack said softly, while looking out the window. He sighed, then, upon looking back at Sally and seeing her expression, he smiled reassuringly. It didn't seem to help.

Sally's gaze had fallen to the floor.

Jack frowned and, for a moment, they were both silent. This was broken when the door crashed open. Both Sally and Jack turned towards the sound quickly. It appeared as though either Lock or Shock had kicked the door in after finding that Jack had locked it from the inside. Jack eyed them wearily.

"We got em, Jack." Lock said proudly.

"Yeah, it was easy, Murdock even walked RIGHT by us and didn't see us once!." Barrel exclaimed. Jack caught Sally's eye before standing.

"Well done." He said tiredly. "Please, if you would just take them downstairs and put them somewhere. I'll be down in a moment and we'll talk about what to do next." The three mischievous trick or treaters nodded and headed back down to the doctors kitchen.

Jack turned to Sally, who was watching him sadly.

"Do you really mean to do this on your own, Jack?" She said in a tiny voice, weighted down by sorrow. Jack stepped towards her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Not alone. I have all of you to help me. I'm just…" She interrupted him.

"Going to do the most dangerous part!"

"I have to. If I fail it wont matter as much. If you, or anyone else were to get hurt trying to pull this off, I could never forgive myself. Besides…I'll be gone after tomorrow evening. I have to do something."

Sally pulled away from him a little. Hearing it was so much worse. If she hadn't heard it, she could almost convince herself it wasn't true. But, either way, she'd have to face it, whether on this evening, or on the next. Vaguely, she felt Jack touch her shoulder.

"Please don't worry. I believe that I know what I'm doing. You said you trusted me." Sally looked up at him quickly.

"I do, Jack…" She said softly. He smiled.

"Then I need you to sew. It must be done by tomorrow evening." She felt his hand leave her shoulder as he crossed the room.

"I'll be back up in a moment." Sally nodded and picked up the fabric from the bed to begin sewing. Down in the doctor's kitchen, the three trick or treaters and the doctor awaited Jack impatiently. Sitting a few feet away from the doctor's wheelchair, Lock, Shock and Barrel argued amongst themselves, while wrestling the bucket they were carrying away from each other. Behind them, the doctor drummed on the table edgily, while his Jewel attempted to serve him tea, which he testily brushed away.

Outside, the Pumpkin sun was setting, although the dark windowless room could not see it.

Jack descended the stairs carefully. By then he was very weak, for he was putting off wasting any more of the doctor's elixir before it was time. When he reached the bottom he eyed the small group wearily and pulled up one of the doctor's dust covered chairs, which he brushed off absently before sitting. He let out a sorrowful sigh before he spoke.

"Tomorrow evening is when we're going to try to pull this off. I just want to make sure that you all know what I want you to do. Lock, Shock, Barrel; I want you to take the things you gathered today and head out to the tree house early tomorrow evening." At this point he was interrupted by Lock who stood up suddenly.

"Hey! No way, we aren't going back there!" He said in a defiant voice. Jack held up a skeletal hand and narrowed an eye socket sternly. Shock, who was sitting next to the older boy, grabbed him by his shirt and yanked him back down.

"It's the only way." Jack explained. "When you reach the tree house, I want you to go down to Oogie Boogie's game room and find the controls. Take care of all of the things, which need to be done and then wait until Murdock enters the lair before turning on every single device you can. I only need two of you for this."

All three of them looked at each other, as though challenging the other to back down.

"The third will take the doctor's new device out to the square where Murdock and the rest of Halloween Town will be. Hide somewhere until I give you the cue to start it up. Doctor, your work is done already. You may go." The doctor nodded, as some of the edge in his attitude left him. At least HE wasn't in any danger.

"What are you going to do?" The doctor asked, as he turned his wheelchair towards the ramp.

"I'm going to lead Murdock to the tree house…but I'm counting on the distraction and rope to give me a head start. This could work…but if it doesn't…" Jack eyed the room despairingly. "Well…I apologize. Then you are on your own." He stood shakily and headed towards the ramp.

"I suggest you three work out who's doing what and then get some rest." He said to Lock, Shock and Barrel before ascending the ramp way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back in the dreary walls of her former chambers, Sally worked on the sewing she had to complete before the next evening. It wasn't hard, she had already finished half, and that was only because her mind was on other things.

Behind her, she heard the door open and shut. Her eyes grew sadder, but she did not look up from her work. Not until she felt Jack's bony fingers run gently through her auburn red hair. She offered him a faint smile. And then returned to her sewing. She didn't feel him leave her side.

After a minute or two (Thought to her, it felt longer.) Jack shifted and then, to her confusion, gently pulled her fingers from her work, before sitting down next to her on the crudely made wooden bench. She looked up at him bewilderedly. She opened her mouth to speak, but he spoke first.

"You know Sally," He started conversationally. "Ever since I first met you, I have wanted to learn how to sew." He smiled warmly at her with her tiny hands enveloped in his own. Sally blinked and looked down at half finished work.

"I should finish this." She said sadly. He touched her chin and tenderly drew her gaze to him.

"From the looks of it, my dear…a short break will not hurt." He said, while nodding to the already partially completed work. She looked down at her work once more and then back to Jack, who was gazing at her patiently. She smiled and removed the fabric from the machine, replacing it with a bit of extra fabric left over from a previous project, which, seemed to Sally was from a different life.

"I doubt you'll learn much…what with so little time…" She broke off sorrowfully. Jack, it appeared was not daunted by her words.

"That's alright." He said calmly. "How do I start?" She took his large skeletal hands in her' and tried to teach him how to sew.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Reaper passed the desk in the waiting room with Murdock's file under his skeletal arm. The teen at the reception desk gave him an impassive glance as he walked out of the building, before returning to the magazine she was reading.

Outside, a hearse was sitting at the curb. The Head of The Board was leaning against it with a vicious looking cigar between his teeth. (The end appeared to be on fire…and, whether he knew it or not…so was the Head of the Board of Beyond.)

"Put yourself out, and come with me. Where's my horse?" He said suddenly as the Head slapped the small flames burning on his dry chin and the lapel of his white jacket.

"Oh." The board began while throwing the cigar to the ground and stepping on it. "I thought this would be faster, sir." The reaper gave him a dark look before moving around to the passenger side and directing the old zombie to drive.

"I hate riding in these things, there so noisy." He said bitterly as the corpse got behind the wheel and started the engine.

"It's built so it is perfectly silent, sir." He said carefully, trying not to get on the Reapers bad side…but EVERYONE knew a hearse was supposed to be silent.

"Exactly.' The reaper said without falter. "It let's off the kind of silence which is so DREADFULLY loud. Not like normal silence at all!" The Head nodded.

"Ah, yes, the silence of the dead." He said. As they began to drive there was a thoughtful silence. (Well…of course there was silence…but this was the sort of made silence, where one can almost hear people thinking to themselves.)

"So you found something, did you?" He asked the reaper, after a moment.

"Yes, I think so…but first I need to be sure. We need to be quick, though. There's no telling what he has done already."

XXXXXXXXXXX

It was clear that Jack was not naturally talented when it came to sewing. She had tried to teach him first how to thread a needle. He had poked himself several times before she did it for him. After that she had tried to teach him how to weave in and out of the fabric, which he had done all right at before his fingers got tangled in the mess of thread which soon turned from a neatly chopped line to a mass of knots. She had then tried to get his fingers out…and…somehow only managed to get her own hands tangled with his.

Jack had given her hands a wide-eyed look when they had knotted with his, which had made her laugh. He had smiled warmly and had leaned forward and kissed her. The only way the moment could have been any more perfect was if they both didn't feel the shadow of the following day approaching. For Sally found that every time he made her smile, the chill would reach her heart first and the hateful thought would flicker into her mind before she could stop it.

_He wont be here tomorrow, you know. This is the last night. _

This was followed shortly by the realization that his enthusiasm and happiness was mostly a show just for her. He was tired. She could tell. The only reason he wasn't resting was because he was forcing himself to sit up and act warmly and be with her…because HE knew it was the last night too.

Finally, after another forty five minutes of sewing (They had managed to get their hands untangled.) Jack had managed to make something simple. (That would probably fall apart easily enough if someone tugged lightly at the thread.) Sally hadn't really paid much attention to what it was…she just watched him. His posture was weakening.

She smiled gently and touched his hand.

"You should rest now, Jack." She said softly. He looked up at her and smiled sadly.

"Yes, I probably should." He said wearily.

He removed what he had sewn and tried to stand. Sally helped him up and over to the bed. He lowered himself into the covers and grasped Sally's tiny hand lightly. Feeling the tears close she kneeled beside him and kissed his forehead. This seemed to surprise him a little.

"I love you Jack." She said in that sort of voice meant for saying goodbye. Jack gave her an odd look before smiling and pulling her close. He sat up on his elbows and wiped a stray tear from her eye with his bony thumb.

"My dear. Certainly you can finish your sewing tomorrow, for now, rest with me." He kissed her. "And please don't talk as though I'm already on my death bed." Sally gave him a staggered look, before allowing him to pull her into the bed with him. She laid her head against his chest and sighed.

"Jack, you never get worried about anything." She said sorrowfully.

"I do." He replied. "But tonight Murdock is not near, I may sleep in as late as I wish without the mayor waking me, and I have you. Right now, that's all that matters." He said as he gave her the almost childishly made heart he had sewn for her. She took it and smiled, allowing herself to be pulled into a deep kiss.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Murdock rested his chin on his pale thin fingers and gazed towards the horrific rooftops of the structures in Halloween Town. Inside, he felt the voices of past victims growing more and more silent. He didn't like it. They weren't going, no, certainly not. They couldn't. But the spirit…what was left of the beings that he stole away were growing…excited.

"He can't do anything." Said Murdock, mostly to himself and partially to the voices within him. "He's weak, his town his mine…he has no power…the ropes are burned." He muttered to himself under his breath. After a moment where he felt he had thoroughly convinced himself that it was impossible for Jack to do anything, he smiled.

"That's right. Try your worst, Jack. Then I can finally be rid of you once and for all."

Now, the town slept. It would be less then twenty-four hours before everything began…and everything ended.

Yup…only one more chapter. Only one more submission. Chapter – and the afterward and then this story is over. Wow. I'll probably finish it in the next week. With thanksgiving weekend coming up I'll have plenty of time.

Until then you'll just have wonder whether or not Jack will die and think all of the possible ways this story will come to a close.

Sorry, I really don't mean to torture: ) I know the way it ends and I really hope you all enjoy it. I've known how this story was going to end since the day I started writing it…which is why I was so comfortable with making things SO bleak looking.

LOVE!


	21. The Law And Those Who Follow

Well, this is it, the last chapter. Wow. I started this story on February 27, of last year. OO

I hope you enjoy this final installment. Thank you for all of the reviews.

Chapter 20:

Part One

The Shadows Grow Long

(Don't worry…I just separated this chapter into two parts  
because the first part doesn't feel like the same chapter as the second part…

There were still things I needed rap up…I guess. This IS my last submission. It's just going to be a VERY long chapter.)

It had been a sweet slumber. It's only fault being that it had gone by so quickly.

Sally had risen early, which she knew was most certainly a terrible mistake. She could have had all day with him, for once, sleeping into ungodly hours without interruption. Instead, when the first of the sun' rays rose over the town's crooked horizon and hit her pale and sorrow stricken face, she had awakened and rather then even trying to go back to sleep, had quietly left the bed.

For an hour or so she had stared out the window, wondering what things would be like at this time the next day. Would the town be rejoicing? No. That wasn't likely. As far as she could see, even if Jack's plan did work, there was not much to rejoice over. Their king would be gone…and things, though slightly improved, would not be as well as they could be.

_Or Murdock could win and the town would be his…and who knows how long it would take till someone comes. He would destroy Halloween forever…and I…I would be his…_

Sally shivered and forced these thoughts out of her head. Jack's plan had to work. It HAD to. Everything would be wrong if it did not.

She stood and made her way over to her sewing machine, figuring that putting herself to work would ease her mind.

She set the machine up in silence and began to sew. With every stitch the time passed by. It went slowly…but not slowly enough.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The hearse was parked in front of a large and sinister looking tower. The Reaper left it and headed towards the gates in a fast paced walk, forcing Arthur to jog at his heels to keep up. (Sigh, Arthur, apparently is the head of the boards name…I named him earlier on in the story and forgot ;)

"Er…sir…is visiting this place really necessary?" The Reaper, choosing to ignore him, had grabbed at a large rope with a skull at the end and had pulled it. A wretched bell began to ring. Arthur halted behind him and looked upwards towards the small tower at the edge of the grounds. Inside, a zombie in uniform appeared to have been sleeping, for he awoke abruptly and fell backwards in his chair.

The reaper stopped ringing the bell and crossed his arms, waiting for the corpse to regain his composer. When he did, he came to the pointed window and looked down in a half confused, half irritated manner.

"Open the gate!" The reaper yelled up to him. The corpse looked about and leaned out further.

"Who's asking?" He asked stupidly. (For apparently the black robe, skeletal arms and scythe had not given it away.)

"Death! Now open the gate!" He yelled. The cadaver blinked and hurried to the controls. (You don't argue with death…it doesn't work.)

After a few moments the large black gates swung open, yielding to death and the head of board. Death stepped in and headed towards the gardens towards the front door as though he had been there many times before. Arthur followed, occasionally looking about and watching the plants suspiciously.

"Charles, why are we here?" Arthur whispered furiously. "This is a prison…Murdock wouldn't have run away from exile to go to a prison!" The reaper reached the heavy metal doors and slammed the knocker onto their surface three times before stepping back and fixing Arthur with an impatient look.

"I'm not here for Murdock!" He said icily. Arthur opened his mouth to question this but was cut off as the doors opened. A very large creature appeared on the other side. His façade…far to wretched to describe. He was like a man…if a man had somehow been born inside out and…perhaps in some cases…upside down. Arthur shivered and tried his best to bow behind Death.

"Daenizvk, I presume. I must speak to your master." Death said, apparently immune the creatures immense unsightliness. The creature nodded (At least…it…sort of looked like he nodded…I guess.) and motioned for them to follow him.

Arthur followed after the reaper as he followed Daenizvk.

"What is he?" He asked in hushed tones.

"He's the doorman." The reaper responded nonchalantly.

The Crimson Eye Reformatory was serious punishment number 66 for wayward souls. It was run by Garish Pandemonium, who, depending on whom he was speaking to, could look like a kindly old man or that thing with the hellish face that children sometimes saw in their dreams.

The door man held the door to his office open, making sure to shut it loudly behind them (Because, in the afterlife…that's just the sort of thing that happens.)

"Ah, Charles." The _kindly_ looking elder said as he watched the Reaper enter. Charles nodded to him and pulled up a seat, not waiting to be invited to sit down.

"I apologize for barging in, Garish. I'm in a hurry." He said, as Arthur tried to find a seat that wasn't too close to the man behind the desk. (The nicer something looked in a place such as this, the more horrible it would most certainly turn out to be.)

"Yes, I heard your…previous assistant did not quite reach the place of his émigré." He said, smiling. The reaper nodded darkly.

"Murdock is why I am here. He spent fifty years in this prison for numerous charges compiled against him several years ago. It was in his file." The reaper threw Murdock's file down on the desk. Garish watched it wearily.

"Yes? That was a long time ago."

"I know." The reaper said quickly. "He was released a hundred years before his sentence was filled and was sent to work in an office in the building where new souls are received. His superior assigned him to me there." Garish laughed, a thing, which slightly annoyed the reaper.

"Are you here to send his supervisor to me? It would appear he deserves it." The reaper shook his head impatiently.

"No, I'm here for the information you have on Murdock. Where he was before…what he did. You have it…Bruno didn't…at least…not to any significant extent."

Garish' smile faded a little as he began to root through his desk. He pulled out a cigar and lit it. Charles frowned as Garish offered him the silver cigar box. The reaper brushed it away.

"Please, Garish, I'm in a hurry."

"Calm down Charles. I have the paperwork, but it won't do you any good. It could take hours to find it…and there's too much to come across anything of use to you anyway." Charles gripped onto his scythe angrily.

"I have to hurry! He could be anywhere!" He yelled to the world-weary man in front of him. Garish sighed and leaned forward.

"He was the king of a town in the holiday forest, Charles. That's all I know. He was banished from there because he didn't follow the rules. From there he came to me…because at the time, that's where his people wanted him." He looked sideways towards the clock hanging on the wall.

"It's almost one now. I believe, since it's the 21st, that the busses are running tonight. You should be able to make the bus stop if you go now." He took the cigar from his mouth and sat back in his chair. The reaper shared a look with Arthur before he spoke.

"Halloween Town? But he couldn't…" He stopped and then, suddenly looking tired, he stood. "Yes…yes he could. They didn't take my "key" from him. And the holiday forest is on the way towards the land of Limbo…he could have very easily." He motioned for Arthur to stand and started to head out the door.

"Sorry, Garish…for wasting your time…I should have guessed." Garish grinned.

"Nonsense. Come by anytime."

At the door, Daenizvk was waiting, holding it open as the two passed through again.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Sally removed her sewing from the machine at half past three. She cast a brief look towards Jack, who was still asleep, before leaving the room and heading down the ramp towards the doctor's kitchen.

She hung her sewing on the counter by a smoking pot. (No doubt the doctor's lunch…it smelled awful.) And went to the table to sit and think.

Thankfully, her thoughts did not run so deep before they were interrupted by Lock Shock and Barrel who were (Surprisingly enough…yea.) Arguing with one another. As usual, it appeared as though Barrel was at the losing side of the argument.

Barrel frowned after the other two trick or treaters who were carrying a large pot with a lid on it by the two giant handles at the side.

"How come I have to be the one to distract Murdock?" He asked, annoyed.

"Because." Shock said as she dropped her end of the pot, nearly spilling its contents and knocking over Lock in the process.

"Because why?" Barrel snapped back, while glancing over at the bundle of fabric sitting on the counter.

"Because we said so." Lock said while brushing himself off. Shock grabbed the fabric from the counter and flung it over Lock's should, nearly knocking him down a second time.

"Come one, Lock. Jack said early afternoon." She said, kicking him in the shin and starting to pick up her side of the pot.

"Ow, fine!" Lock snapped back. He grabbed his side and they both started towards the door. Shock paid Sally a quick glance before kicking open the door.

"Tell bonehead that he better be on time, tonight." She said before heading out towards the tree house, nearly dragging Lock behind her.

Barrel kicked at something in aggravation before sitting at the table that Sally was sitting at and stuffing his chin into his fists impatiently.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A few residents wondered out into the square, their eyes refusing to meet with the eyes of others. (Or the garments of others. Purple was NOT a popular color in Halloween Town…but one wouldn't know it if they saw the town now.) It was the sixteenth big meeting of that year. They were always scheduled at the same time before Halloween Town. That was one thing that Murdock did not choose to change.

It was still early, but a few residents decided to get their early (Which was not uncommon.) so that they could ensure seats as far away from Murdock as possibly. (Mostly to avoid his disturbing eyes.)

Among these few people were the four vampire brothers and the band from in front of Jack's gate…(who had recently been told that they had to participate with the rest of the town, or they would be locked in an iron maiden, together, for several hundred years.)

"This doesn't feel right." One of them said briefly as he watched the stage where their Pumpkin King would be standing. The other members of the band nodded quietly.

"Best to be silent about it though." Said another.

If some of the residents would have been a bit cleverer, they might have thought of speaking out against their new tyrant of a leader. Unfortunately, all brain cells remaining, and not under the weight of decay was dedicated to Halloween and Halloween only. They were lost without a leader…with no Jack…following this mad man seemed like the only other option. This, of course, did not mean that they had to like it.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Jack awoke feeling worse then he did before he fell asleep. He lifted his arm to find, disturbingly, that it felt much heavier then bone should. Sighing, he lowered it and stared at the ceiling for a long moment.

_Hours now. _He thought to himself. _I wish I had more time. _

He felt a weighty depression come upon him as he sat up and forced himself to his feet. In the corner, he saw a tray with a number of small vials on it. The doctor had obviously brought it up while he was sleeping.

Jack crossed over to them and picked one up in his bony fingers, wondering whether or not he should take one so that he wouldn't start falling apart before he had to leave that evening.

As he examined it, Sally entered the room inaudibly and stood behind him in silence, watching as he set the vial down with a sigh. She approached him; touching his shoulder to make him aware of her presence.

Jack started slightly and turned.

"Your awake." She said in a very tiny voice. She suspected that she was trying to smile…but did not feel it working very well. Jack nodded.

"What time is it?" He asked, a tremor of dismay entering his voice.

"It must be nearing five. You should take one now Jack." She said, while motioning towards the vials. "…You look…" She stammered off slightly. Jack smiled a little.

"Horrible, I know." He said warmly. "I will. Have two of the trick or treaters left yet?" He asked.

"Yes…a little over an hour ago." Jack nodded.

"Good. Barrel's left, I imagine?"

"Yes." Sally said sadly. She had begun playing with the stitches on her hand.

"Would you mind going down and telling him to set off as well, while I get ready?" Jack asked kindly. Sally was aware that he was watching her with some concern. She nodded and left the room, meeting his eye sockets for a moment. It was enough to have her fighting back tears as she descended the ramp.

XXXXX

Jack watched the place where she had been standing for a moment, before turning and taking one of the vials from the tray. He emptied it's contents and felt slightly better…but it did nothing for his mood.

He grabbed his pinstripe jacket and bat tie from the old wooden chair and put them on over distraught white dress shirt. The whole time, he thought, rather painfully of ways to say goodbye. In his own bed, Zero watched his master sorrowfully as he straightened out his outfit and grabbed the braided rope that he had hung on the side of Sally's bed.

Outside the shadows began to grow long, and in the square, the meeting began.

Part Two

The Last Gamble

Jack entered the kitchen, as it grew dark. He had taken half of the vials, the other half were stored in his pocket. The rope was strung over his shoulder. Sally had been sitting at the table. She looked up only when he approached her.

"Where's the doctor?" Jack asked. His voice was steady, a thing which both heartened Sally and dismayed her. She longed to be as certain as he was.

"He's down in his lab." She said softly. "I think he's hiding." She added, with a little guilt. Jack smiled.

"I don't blame him." He said, slightly amused.

For a moment, there was a very loud silence, where both of them were putting off saying words that had not yet come to them. Jack gazed at the clock briefly before sighing gloomily.

"If this is going to work, I have to go now." He said softly. Sally held back her tears as best as she could by avoiding his gaze. She felt that no matter what she said…it would still sound like goodbye to both of them…so she might as well just get it out of the way.

"Goodbye Jack." She said. It came out as half a sob. Before her, Jack had set the rope aside. She felt his arms around her and his kiss on her forehead. Vaguely she thought that if she just closed her eyes and pretended it wasn't going to end like this…that it would spare her feelings a little. But she didn't. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back, and looked into his face because it WAS the last time…and she wanted to remember it for what it was. For now, the hardest part was letting him go.

"I love you, Sally." Jack said, his own voice teeming with grief.

"I'll always love you, Jack." She said softly. Then, he kissed her again and with much difficulty, they both parted. For a moment, his long fingers were still around hers, and then they left too.

Without another word, Jack took the rope and left. That was when Sally began to cry.

XXXXXXX

The night air hit Jack with force. In the distance, the autumn wind blew over the trees in the Hinterlands, sending them off into a chorus of agonized whistling and moaning. Jack tried to stay to the shadows. Unlike the last time, he was not veiled in disguise.

He spotted the gallows at the head of the square, looking oddly bare without it's noose. He looked around uncertainly for a moment before removing the rope from his shoulder and tying it up onto the gibbet. He was aware of voices in the Town Hall.

After he tied a second knot at the end of the rope, making a noose, he slowly pushed the scaffold towards the door of the Hall, moving it slightly out of the way in case some other resident went to investigate before Murdock.

Then, after taking the equivalent of deep breath for a dead man, he stepped onto the wooden platform where the mayor sometimes stood and paced towards an odd statue of a cat with it's hair standing on end. He grabbed the tail and began to wind it. The alarm sounded.

XXXXXXX

Hidden on the side of Town Hall, in a dead bush, Barrel sat up abruptly when he heard the alarm. He grabbed at the doctors machine and began pulling levers. After everything was in place his hand hovered over the switch that would start it up.

"Jack said five minutes…wait five minutes." He began counting under his breath.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Inside the Town Hall everyone looked about hysterically.

"Vat is it?" The youngest vampire brother asked.

"It's that alarm." The tall witch said, flabbergasted. "But who's sounding it? We're all in here."

On stage, Murdock's eyes were gazing wildly in the directing of the square. He jumped down and tore through the center of the room furiously. On both sides, eyes followed his progress. He didn't notice…nor did he notice when others stood up behind him and followed. He had only one mindset.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jack was waiting for him on the other side of the door and was pleased to see that it was him who came out first and not another resident of the town. He was, however, even more pleased to see Murdock walk right into the rope, not seeing it at all, for his gaze was directed toward the alarm. When he did notice it, it was too late.

Jack came up behind him and pulled the noose over his head. Then, grabbing the part that was lying off to the side, he tugged. The noose tightened and hauled a shocked Murdock off of his feet. After the moment of surprise subsided, instead of lapsing into anger…as he might have with any other form of defiance, he began to panic.

It appeared as though the simple knowledge and logic of being dead AND a phantom was outrun by the sheer terror of being back on the gallows. He struggled, he clawed at his throat and he kicked desperately so as not to suffocate. The fact that this was impossible did not enter his mind at all.

So far, so good. Now, Jack needed to let Murdock see him and see the direction in which he departed, so that he would follow him. He stepped in front of the terror stricken phantom with a wicked smile across his features. It was important to keep up a strong visage. As long as he did, Murdock would be wary of him.

Jack saw a hint of surprise and hatred in the man's eyes. Surprise at finding Jack standing in front of him, looking a bit too whole for his own liking and hatred because he had used his worst weakness against him.

Jack leaned towards the man and gave him a dark look.

"You have taken my town, you have harmed my friends and have stolen my love against her will. How dare you!" The last part was barely above a whisper. Murdock, who was beginning to regain some sense, had begun to fumble with the rope.

Jack took a step back as the man finally remembered himself. There was a flash and the threads of the rope twisted apart. Jack had known that he wouldn't be able to simply go through it. Certainly in logic he could…but in his own mind it was not an option.

Murdock stood, rubbing at his neck and staring at Jack with a look soaked in venom. Some of the residents in town had come to the door and were watching in excitement and disbelief. Jack was alive!

Jack did his best to stand up straight. He glared at Murdock in what he hoped was a convincing Pumpkin King glower, all the while counting down in his head.

"You'll DIE Jacky!" Murdock screamed when he finally got his voice back.

"Now." Jack whispered. Murdock raised his brow, and then was taken off guard when Jack suddenly darted off to his right. He was about to scream something after him when he was knocked off of his feet. He hit the ground hard enough so that he felt some of the stitches on the back of his head split. He screamed in agony, which was only worsened when various things of unknown origin began crowding around him. Snakes and spiders and strange snapping toys, which, to the town members looked a lot like the ones used in the Christmas incident the year before.

Murdock blew a wheeled ducks head off with a flash of fire and began knocking the other things off of him. He kicked and swiped at other objects as they surrounded him after the first wave was destroyed. This happened several times.

Finally, he was able to break free. When he did, he hurried after Jack, now driven by rage and the desire to be rid of him once and for all.

XXXXX

Jack had stopped briefly only to take the rest of the vials. When he reached the tree house his nerves attacked him with ferocity. This was it. If this didn't work, it was over.

Behind him he heard Murdock, who had apparently decided that following in silence was a waste of time. Jack reached the bridge and quickly dropped under it, into the darkness. He was glad to see the cage was there. He quickly pulled open the barred doors and shut himself in. It began to descend.

It was dark. When the cage reached the floor of Oogie's Game room, Jack stepped out and fumbled in the darkness, trying to find the center of the room where the giant revolving wheel was. Behind him, he was not surprised to hear that Murdock had not bothered with something so trivial as the stairs or elevator.

"Jack!" Murdock said, in the darkness. When Jack spun around to face him, he felt his heel knock against the edge of the wheel. He backed up carefully. "It's over now Jack!" Murdock said, approaching him as though darkness was an obstacle he had easily overcome many times.

"I don't know how you've survived this long…but I certainly will not make the mistake of leaving you without being sure of your death again." He was but feet away now. Jack backed up a little more.

Murdock's eyes were inches from his own now. In the darkness they flashed and glowed. They widened a bit. Then, to Jack's dismay, he smiled.

"Your bluffing…you have no strength at all." Jack took another step back. Murdock watched him, pleased.

"So what's your plan? Using the Boogie Man's room against me? Ha! Here, I'll help you. HEY!" He began to yell. "WHOEVER'S THERE! GO AHEAD! START HER UP! Let's have a game, then Jack…shall we?" He seemed to grow more serious, then.

"It's over Jack. I win." He said in a whisper. At this point, jack did began to panic a little. Lock and Shock should have been ready to start the room up when they saw the cage lower. They were far past their cue by now. He began to think quickly. Murdock grabbed at him, Causing jack to take a hurried step backwards. Then, out of no where, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"How many aces in a deck?" He asked quickly. Murdock rose his brow and then grinned.

"Haha. Surely your not trying to distract me with such an easy question! Nearly everyone know there are four aces in a deck." Said Murdock amusedly. He thought for a moment and then gave Jack a wicked smile.

"Or perhaps you trying to be clever and the answer is only three…because the other is up your sleeve? Is that it? Am I right?" Murdock asked.

That was when the lights came on. It was not this, however which wiped the smile off of Murdock's face, but that the voice which answered his question was not Jack's.

"Wrong, Ghost BOY! Because the answer is…" Out of the shadows, at the top of HIS game room, Oogie Boogie was grinning down at the phantom, who was at this point wearing a mask of terror. "This aint your game."

As the wheel began to spin, Jack attempted to stagger off of it as best he could. He felt some relief mixed with an immense amount of doubt. On the one hand, he was done. He could lie down…and maybe…not have get up again. On the other, he had entrusted the fate of his town into the cruel hands of the Boogie Man.

As he took his last step he tripped and fell to the ground, his feet tangled together. He almost didn't try to get back up…and might not have if two arms hadn't wrapped around him and pulled him to his feet. He looked up.

"Sally. What are you doing here?" He asked in astonishment. She pulled him out of the way of the wheel and then gave him a faint smile.

"Did you really think I'd stay away, Jack?" She asked softly. He returned her smile and put his arms around her.

"I'm glad you came." He said softly, before turning his attention back on Murdock.

Murdock had forgotten all about him. He was staring up in wretched fear as Oogie Boogie swung himself down and landed in front of him.

"But your…your…" Murdock stammered.

"Aww…you thought I was dead? I wouldn't have missed your return for ANYTHING, especially after what you did the last time we met. Ahaha, remember that, old friend?" Oogie's face twisted into something like anger.

Murdock clawed at his charms.

"You can't beat me this time! I have power!" It did not have the desired effect. The boogie man burst into laughter and then breathed in, sucking in massive gales of wind. Murdock grabbed at the chains around his neck, but to no avail, the snapped and went into the gaping black hole that was the Boogie man's throat.

He spat them out and grinned at Murdock with gums of worms.

"You pilfering skin bag. Without your charms…you don't have anything." Murdock…mostly in shock that things weren't going his way, took a step back. That was a mistake.

"This is for taking my skin, ghost boy." He stepped forward threateningly, making Murdock step back…only to realize that there was no back. Murdock flailed his arms for a moment in almost comedic surprise and then fell into the giant pot of boiling lava. And just like that…he was gone.

The wheel stopped and the room fell into an uncomfortable silence. Jack braced himself for what would most surely come next.

Oogie Boogie, having gotten rid of the opponent he hated the most, turned to the one he hated almost as much and began to approach him.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Jack? Completely vulnerable? It must be my lucky day."

Jack felt Sally's grip tighten. It occurred to him that she wanted to protect HIM. Although, Jack didn't think that it would make any difference either way. Oogie Boogie may get the best of him…or…he'd wait another couple hours to turn to dust. At this point his only concern was her.

She might be able to defend herself…but he had a feeling that she would not hold for long. He couldn't do anything…and…yes, it appeared as though Lock and Shock had dashed off ages ago. He didn't think they'd help him fend off their old master anyway.

"I'm going to enjoy this!" Oogie said, his shadow falling over Jack and Sally. This was, unfortunately for him…as far as things went, for at that moment there was a very soft noise to his right. He turned and then was surprised to have a scythe pointed at his throat.

"Take a step back, please, sir." The reaper said softly. (Yet in a voice still managing to send chills down one's spine.) Oogie Boogie, looking upset and nervous, moved away smartly from the blade.

"I know who you are (The reaper has met everyone at least once…and does not forget a face too easily.) I also know that you should be gone...so that if I were to be rid of you right now it would only mean that we wouldn't have to pull out the paperwork saying that you don't exist anymore."

Oogie Boogie grumbled to himself and moved back further. His eyes fell on Lock and Shock, who had apparently let the two men in. He motioned for them to follow him, and after sharing a weary look with each other, they did as they were told.

Behind Charles, Arthur walked up and looked down at Jack and Sally with something that…sort of passed off as an authoritative glance.

"Alright, where's the phantom!" He asked, as though both of them had been in league with Murdock or something. The Grim Reaper sighed and with one skeletal hand, pushed Arthur behind him.

"I apologize." He said kindly. "We are looking for Mr. Murdock Manifesto. We think he might be here…and these two…children, said that you would know Mr. Skellington." The reaper grew uncomfortable when Jack didn't answer, but rather, was looking at him as though he could barely see him at all. Finally, Jack sighed and lowered his head.

"Your terribly late." He said softly, before falling either into a state of unconsciousness…or a light sleep. Sally was watching both men a little warily. They were like no one she had ever seen. The one called Arthur was broad in the shoulders and was wearing an all white suite. The other one was quite possibly taller then Jack, and was cloaked in black. What she could see of him was made of bone.

"He's gone." She said softly, speaking to the tall hooded one.

"Gone?" The reaper asked, turning a surprised gaze onto the fragile looking girl made mostly of stitches and fabric.

She pointed to the large pot in the center of the room. The Reaper followed her finger, then, upon seeing the pot, deflated out of both relief and shame. He turned back to her, but she was no longer looking at him.

"I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience." He said and then reveled at how pathetic it sounded. Still, he turned towards Arthur and motioned towards the chains lying on the wheel a little ways from the pot.

"Grab the charms…and for your job, you'd better hope my key is still there." He turned back towards Sally and was dismayed to find her looking at him. He nodded towards Jack…because he knew she would ask.

"I know. He's done it before. He was suppose to be in exile…that…probably wasn't enough though." He said softly. Then came the question he dreaded.

"Can't…can't it be stopped somehow?" Sally asked, forgetting that she was talking to a complete stranger. The reaper shook his head.

"I know him. He follows the law. It's against the rules." Behind him Arthur chose that moment to call over towards him in triumphant and cheered tones.

"Got em! Good! Now let's go get a drink!" He started out. The Reaper tore his eyes away from the rag doll's sorrowed and by now accusing gaze and started to follow him. Before he got far the girl stood.

"This isn't fair. We've waited all this time for someone to come…and now you haven't done anything at all." The reaper froze, flinching slightly.

Arthur seemed to feel no guilt.

"Listen miss, those are the rules. The Law Of Anarchic Demise states that those who follow it must care for their own souls. It's their fault if they lose em." He said. He started walking again but was stopped by the Reapers voice.

"No…it's our fault." He said softly…then…on second thought. "Really it's mostly your fault." He added. Arthur turned and stared at him in stunned silence.

"Charles, you can't go against the rules, so don't even THINK about it." The reaper crossed his arms and gave Arthur a REAL authoritative look.

"Really…the rules huh? And I suppose it wasn't at all against the rules to assign me that maniac in the first place? I could still refer you to that prison you know." Arthur looked uncomfortable.

"Well…I suppose this once…" Charles nodded and spun around to face Sally.

"You may have your wish, miss." He offered her his hand. On the other side of it, Sally looked up at him in surprise and doubt.

"Can…you…"

"Of course." Charles said, while pulling her to her feet. "I'm the Grim Reaper."

Arthur selected a charm out of the many necklaces Murdock had worn and handed it over to the Reaper carefully. He took it and then, to Arthur's astonishment and horror he threw it to the ground and stepped on it.

Only the Reaper can select the right soul of one individual out of dozens. Unlike many people in the world of the after life, The Reaper is generally very good at what he does. He has to be.

**Next page my darlings!**


	22. Afterward

**Afterward**

The sun was setting, making it very hard to see what he was doing. It sent long shadows through the room and embraced his bone fingers as he worked the tiny needle through the thread. With the darkness slightly obscuring his vision he accidentally sent the needle through the thread and into his finger. He set the sewing aside and sucked at his finger absently. (Wondering, not for the first time, how bone could hurt at all.)

Jack looked towards the huge windows of his tower at the darkening sky. When he saw it, his stomach (Or…whatever…his…pelvic bone.) tied up in knots. He sighed and stood up, absently straightening out his collar and grabbing a needle and thread from the table.

In the past week (For it had been that long since Murdock had been destroyed.) Sally had been trying to teach him how to sew. He wasn't very good at it, it being one of the many things non Halloween related that did not come easy to him. Mostly he had been learning on stray pieces of fabric, but in the last couple days Sally had let him use her hand…which, for the most part, he still left alone because he didn't want to mess it up too badly. He took it now from the table and headed towards the trap door at one corner of the room.

XXXXXXX

At the top of spiral hill, Sally was watching as the stars began to come out. It was a clear night, and in Halloween Town, that was rare. She smiled to herself as she trailed one tiny stitched hand through her crimson hair. The other arm, handless, was lying in her lap. She didn't hear Jack approach.

"I thought that I would find you here." He said softly. Sally jumped, and then, turning she followed Jack with her gaze as he sat down beside her. It was still strange…she had nearly forgotten how quietly he walked or how gracefully he moved. Certainly, for a while one could have seen it in Murdock…but that wasn't the same at all.

She smiled warmly at him. Then, for a short moment, she thought she saw a flicker of nervousness in his façade and her smile faded a little. She watched him for a moment, trying to see whether or not she'd notice it again, when he met her gaze and smiled. She relaxed a little.

Without a word he pulled out her tiny hand, which was engulfed in his own and started to give it to her. She smiled, and reached out to take it, but he pulled it away slightly, much to her bewilderment.

"Perhaps I could try to sew it back on?" He asked. And it was back, the certainty that he was nervous. She felt a moment of hesitation, and a feeling, something like irrational alarm, that she knew would come any time he ever acted even slightly out of character.

"Um…alright." She said softly. For a moment...ONLY a moment, mind you, she thought of Murdock pretending to be Jack. This wasn't like that. He WAS acting strange (His hands were even shaking…which…was probably not a good thing considering he would soon be sewing on her hand.) But she could not see any cruelty in his façade. Only anxiety…which was still very odd for Jack.

Then he gently took her arm, and for a moment, met her gaze with his own. As he did, she felt the uneasiness fall away.

Jack pulled a needle and thread from his pocket and slowly began to sew her hand back onto her arm. He did it with such a vast concentration, that it made her smile. She watched the stitches, which, weren't too terribly bad…but she figured she would have to do over at some point.

When he finished, Sally started to pull her hand away, but found it still clutched in his own. He wrapped his other hand around it as well and leaned forward to kiss her. As he did, she let out a sigh that might have been a half swoon. As she kissed him back she noticed something different, not in his kiss, but oddly enough, on her hand. Confused, she pulled back and detached her hand from his. He let her.

She pulled her hand up, soaking it with moonlight, and saw, on her finger, where it not been before, a tiny ring. She stared at it for a moment in disbelief. She then turned her gaze to Jack, who was watching her carefully.

She swallowed and forced down the tears which were threatening to come. Jack took her other hand, allowing her to have the one she was still staring at in astonishment and leaned towards her a little.

"Sally," He started, surprised at the sturdiness of his own voice. "There was one point in this last week when I was sure I would never get to do this and it infuriated me that he did it first. It shouldn't have been like that. Still, that's all over with, and the experience has just made me all the more sure that I would like to spend the rest of eternity by your side. Will you marry me?"

Sally watched him with wide eyes, then, finally, when the whole thing soaked in, she flung her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. She WAS crying by then.

"Jack, I wouldn't spend eternity any other way." She said softly. Jack grinned, clearly pleased (And a bit relieved.) and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

The stars were all out by then, which was nice, but even better was the fact that the moon was bright, and somewhere, in the center of town, there was a large fire, where everything with even a hint of purple was burning, ensuring to everyone, that things were exactly the way they should be.

THE END

Ha! HAHAHAHAHA! Wow…I am done. I can't believe it. It's taken a LONG time, but here it is. Wow…I haven't even really started the weekend yet. I hope it turned out all right. Chapter twenty was written last night from six to eleven and by then end of it, I wasn't entirely sure if I was still thinking straight or not. Tell me and I'll go through and revise some stuff if it isn't to your liking. I saved the afterward for this morning, because I wanted it to be right…and I was in no mood to finish the whole thing last night. So, against all logic, I woke up at six thirty (At the time, it was still very dark.) grabbed a cup of coffee, and then began typing. That was two hours ago. That, plus the five hours taken to finish chapter twenty and the three or some it look to write the first three pages last weekend, makes this chapter the LONGEST I've ever written. I hope that it turned out. And that the ending was to your liking.

Also, for future reference, I would just like to say that you rarely need to worry about ME giving a fanfic a sad ending. I will do that for my own original stories…but killing off the main character is NOT something that I generally tend to do. Not unless, of course, if I'm writing a story about how Jack died in the first place…(Which may or may not be the way Pumpkin Town goes…though I still haven't decided yet…hehe…that one still has a way to go before IT is finished.)

On a personal note…I would like to thank all of you for reviewing this story. I'm really glad that you have enjoyed it.

Also to Mistress of Nightmares: I hope this one did not make you cry, but rather, made you smile : )

I love you all! Thank you for reading my story!


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